The Wolf Returns
by Pandaboo704
Summary: Less than 2 years ago, the men of Station 51, buried Fire Fighter Tim Stewart, who had tormented them believing they were responsible for the death of his partner and his own injuries. Now, someone is targeting them again, only this time Mike appears to be the target, but the person will hurt anyone that he cares about to hurt him. **Sequel to A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing**
1. Chapter 1

Johnny pulled his Rover into the driveway and hopped out. He opened the gate to the backyard and was instantly greeted by his German Shepherd, Chief. Chief jumped up, placing his front paws on Johnny's shoulders and stood facing him nose to nose. Johnny took both hands and rubbed them vigorously up and down the dog's back. "Hey, Chief, did you guard the family while I was gone?"

Chief kissed him in the face.

"Good boy," Johnny rubbed is ears.

Chief turned his head, catching sight of a squirrel running across his yard. Chief took off in pursuit.

Johnny smiled and opened the back door. He leaned against the door jam and took in the kitchen scene. Hunter sat in his booster chair, awkwardly holding a spoon and feeding himself cheerios in milk. Johnny noticed that he was wearing about as much as he was actually getting into his mouth, maybe a bit more. His dark hair stuck up in all different directions. Ainsley stood at the stove, he could smell bacon frying and given the few pieces of potato peel still on the counter Johnny was willing to bet she was frying potatoes in the other pan. He watched as she moved to set the spatula on the counter, but placed it too close to the edge, and it fell to the floor.

He couldn't help but chuckle as she attempted to bend over to pick it up only to find her protruding belly wouldn't let her bend over. Ainsley looked in his direction. "This is your fault you know," she scolded lightly, her hand on her belly. The smile on her face gave way to the fact that she was pleased with her situation.

"I know," Johnny said proudly as he walked into the kitchen.

"Daddy, eat," Hunter held up a hand.

Johnny bent over and let his son stuff soggy Cheerios into his mouth. "Numnumnum," Johnny made eating sounds, pretending to nibble on Hunter's fingers, as well as the Cheerios. The little boy squealed in delight.

Johnny kissed him on the head before moving over toward Ainsley. He grabbed a paper towel off the rack, getting half of it wet. He bent down, picked up the spatula, wiped up the grease and then used the other half of the towel to dry up the water. He ran his hand across the floor to make sure it wasn't slippery. The last thing he wanted was Ainsley slipping in her current condition. He stopped to kiss her belly as he stood up. He rinsed off the spatula and turned to hand it back to her.

"Thank you, my husband," Ainsley smiled at his thoughtfulness.

"Anytime, my wife," Johnny dropped a kiss on her lips. She went to turn, but he put his hand on her waist and turned her back for a deeper kiss. Ainsley slipped her arms around his neck and leaned into her husband.

"I'm gonna burn your breakfast," Ainsley said, finally pulling back.

Johnny was half tempted to tell her to forget breakfast, but he was hungry. Hunter made the decision for him, "Daddy, done," the little boy held up his arms for his dad to pick him up.

Johnny gave Ainsley another quick kiss and then moved to scoop his son up out of the seat. He carried him down the hall toward his bedroom. Johnny stopped at the dresser and picked out an outfit. He carried Hunter over to his bed and laid him down. He quickly changed his diaper, dressed him and attempted to brush his hair. Johnny laughed as the little boy's hair immediately stuck up again every time he tried to brush it flat. "It's gonna have to be good enough, son."

Johnny gave Hunter another kiss and then let the little boy go, who immediately ran out of the room and down the hallway toward the kitchen. By the time Johnny got back to kitchen, Hunter had already attached himself to his mom's leg.

"Breakfast is ready," Ainsley said, sliding the pan back on the stove. "I'd serve you, but I don't want the grease too close to Hunter."

"You gonna have any?" Johnny said, reaching for a plate.

"A little."

Johnny grabbed a second plate and loaded them both with eggs, bacon and potatoes. Ainsley moved toward the table, moving Hunter with her. She sat down and then pulled the little boy into her lap.

She fed Hunter a piece of potato. "How was your night?"

"Actually pretty quiet," Johnny said. "In fact, I was thinking we should all go down to the Boardwalk and spend the day. They've got a lot of activities going on today for kids."

"That sounds like a lot of fun," Ainsley fed Hunter a small piece of bacon.

She went to put a piece in her mouth and his little hand touched her arm. "More, momma," Hunter reached for the bacon in her hand.

Ainsley let him have it and as she did, Johnny slid a piece of bacon off of his plate on to hers.

"It's okay, Honey, eat your bacon," Ainsley smiled at him.

"Uh-uh, you're eating for two, you need it."

Johnny cleaned up the kitchen while Ainsley went to finish getting ready. Johnny let Chief back in the house and dumped some of the leftover food in his dog dish. Chief quickly scarfed it down and then turned to go follow Hunter who was walking out of the kitchen. Chief walked along next to the little boy, blocking him from getting near the front door, and then following him back into the kitchen. Chief again blocked him from getting to the stairs that led down to the foyer and out into the backyard.

"Good boy," Johnny said, tossing Chief another piece of bacon.

"You know you're not supposed to feed him people food," Ainsley said, walking back into the kitchen.

Johnny just looked at her, knowing she frequently slipped the dog pieces of her food.

Ainsley just laughed. "Get Hunter's stroller from the garage would ya; I'll get Chief's leash."

Johnny took Hunter's hand and helped the little boy walk down the two steps and out the door. He loaded the stroller into the Rover and secured Hunter into his car seat. He opened the other door for Chief to jump in. He turned as Ainsley walked out of the house, stopped and frowned.

"Everything okay?" Johnny moved toward her.

She looked over at him, "I've got to pee again," Ainsley said, frustration in her voice as she turned and walked back into the house.

"Just another month, Sweetheart."

Johnny got in the Rover and started it up, turning the radio to his favorite station and waited for his wife to join him.

E

"Isn't that Mike," Ainsley jerked her head in the direction of a tall man with sandy brown hair standing probably 30 yards from them, her hands too full to point.

"Hey, Mike," Johnny called out.

Mike Stoker turned around and smiled at his friends. He then turned to the woman with the long red hair standing next to him, leaned close and said something to her that had her turning to look at them as well.

"Who's that?" Ainsley asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Don't start," Johnny warned.

"What? I'm not starting anything; I'm just curious."

Johnny rolled his eyes as he looked at his wife. Now was not the time to have this conversation, Mike and his lady friend were almost over to them.

"Hi, Mike," Ainsley said, as the Engineer approached.

"Hey, Ainsley," Mike leaned over and kissed her cheek. "How ya doin' bud?" Mike reached down and ruffled Hunter's hair. "This is Caroline," Mike introduced the woman next to him.

"Hi, Caroline, nice to meet you," Ainsley said reaching out to shake her hand. Ainsley worked to keep a smile on her face, even as she looked the woman over.

Chief moved between the woman and Ainsley, sitting on Ainsley's feet, looking up at Caroline.

"And this is Chief," Ainsley introduced the German Shepherd.

Caroline moved back slightly. "Is he friendly?"

"Oh, sure," Johnny assured her. "He's just protective of Ainsley and Hunter. I'm Johnny, I work with Mike."

"Johnny's one of the paramedics I was telling you about," Mike clarified.

"Oh, yea, I'd never heard of a paramedic before. It sounds like an interesting job," Caroline said, reaching out to shake the hand Johnny extended.

"It definitely is," Johnny said.

"Did you see the python they had at the end of the pier?" Mike asked. "It's huge!"

"No," Johnny said, looking down toward the end of the pier where a large crowd was forming.

Ainsley visibly shuddered. "You go ahead, I'll stay here."

Johnny smiled, Ainsley was terrified of snakes. "I'll hold your hand," Johnny offered.

"You'll have to administer CPR 'cause I'll have a heart attack. No, thanks. You can take Hunter, he shouldn't develop my phobia and maybe Caroline and I can go walk over and look at some of the vendors," Ainsley pointed to several booths that were set up selling everything from jewelry, to clothing, to useless little knickknacks.

"Uh-oh, give me your purse first," Johnny said, jokingly.

Ainsley winked at him, reached down and pulled her purse out of the stroller, and started to move toward the vendors. "C'mon Caroline, let the boys go play with snakes and we'll see if we can't find pretty things to play with."

Mike laughed at Johnny's expression and gave Caroline a smile and a nod, encouraging her to go off with Ainsley.

"You know Ainsley's gonna be trying to find out what's wrong with her; she's still disappointed things didn't work out between you and her friend Meg," Johnny said, as the boys moved toward the end of the pier, Johnny was pushing the stroller and Mike kept ahold of Chief's leash. Chief kept looking back at Ainsley walking away and trying to turn and follow her.

"C'mon, boy, she's fine," Mike encouraged the dog to move forward. "I've never seen him so focused on Ainsley, usually he prefers to stay with Hunter."

"I think because Ainsley is so close to delivering the baby. Dogs can sense that kinda stuff."

"Oh, yeah, that makes sense."

"So because Ainsley is gonna grill me later and I'll be in the doghouse if I don't ask, what did happen with you and her friend Meg?"

Mike shrugged his shoulders, "Nothin'. Meg was really great. But, she told me she wasn't sure how long she was gonna be gone with her dad being sick and she said she needed to focus on her dad and it wouldn't be fair to me to try a long distance relationship. I met Caroline about two-weeks before Meg came back, and I like her, ya know. There's something different about her."

"She's pretty," Johnny commented.

"Yeah."

The men stopped to look at the Python. The guy holding it saw Hunter and he moved closer to see if Hunter wanted to touch the snake. Chief went berserk. He lunged at the snake nearly pulling Mike off his feet, teeth bared and a growl that even had Johnny taking a step back. Mike planted his feet and pulled back on the leash to keep Chief from reaching the snake, but Chief was not having any of it. He dipped his head trying to slip out of his collar.

"No, Chief! No!" Johnny commanded, but he wisely grabbed Hunter's stroller and moved it back and off to the side of the pier away from the snake. Chief continued to struggle to get free of his collar, but as he realized Johnny was moving the baby away he began to pull Mike in that direction, instead of toward the snake. Mike eased up his pull on the leash and allowed Chief to start moving back toward Hunter and Johnny.

"Well, that was interesting," Mike said, looking at Johnny, who couldn't help but start laughing when he looked at Mike. His hair was messed up, his shirt was untucked from wrestling with the dog and his hands had leash marks from pulling so hard.

"Next time, we'll let Ainsley take the dog," Johnny said, turning the stroller around to start heading toward the vendors and away from the snake.

E

Ainsley stopped at the first vendor and looked over the selection of turquoise and silver jewelry. "So how did you and Mike meet?" She asked Caroline, trying to sound casual.

"We literally ran into each other at a grocery store, and he knocked me on my butt. He was very apologetic and sweet; but after helping me up and making sure I was okay he walked away. Later that day, we saw each other at a gas station and he paid for my gas as a way of saying sorry again. Then, yet again, on the same day, we ran into each other at a taco stand at the beach. He made a comment about having never ran into someone he didn't know 3 times in one day, and I said fate must be trying to tell us something and I offered to buy him a taco; which he refused to let me buy and instead he paid for them. We had tacos and walked on the beach for a bit; I gave him my phone number and he called me a few days later to go see a movie. We've only known each other a few weeks, I wasn't really planning on meeting his friends just yet."

"One thing you need to know about the guys at Station 51 is they are not co-workers, they're family. You're gonna have to meet us sooner or later, so at least you get to do it in stages. Mike could've just brought you to the fireman's picnic next month and had you meet everyone at once," Ainsley smiled, but felt disappointed that it had been so close to Meg coming back from taking care of her dad. If they hadn't met for just a couple more weeks Mike would have probably called Meg when he heard she was back in town. Instead, he'd sent her flowers with a card saying he was sorry for her loss and when she called him to thank him, he'd admitted he was seeing someone. Meg had been pretty bummed.

Caroline wandered to the next vendor and began to look at tie dye t-shirts. Ainsley moved past that vendor and instead moved over to a person selling knitted baby blankets. She looked at several with gender neutral colors.

"When are you due?" Caroline asked.

"In a month," Ainsley said. "Which is not soon enough, the last few weeks are the hardest."

"Yea, but I bet you're excited," Caroline said.

"I am. Hunter is growing up so fast, I can't wait for him to have a little brother or sister."

"Are you hoping for a boy or a girl?"

"I know you're supposed to say, as long as it's healthy, I don't care; and that is true, but at the same time I would love to have a baby girl."

"Any feelings?"

"This pregnancy is very different from my last pregnancy so I'm hoping that's a sign this one's a girl."

Caroline smiled as they moved toward the next vendor together.

"Momma," Hunter called out when he saw her.

Ainsley turned around. "Wow, that was fast, did Hunter not like the snake?"

"Chief didn't," Mike said, showing his hands that still held marks from the leash.

"Oh, no, is everyone okay?" Ainsley looked at Mike's hands and quickly looked over Chief.

"Everyone's fine; but I think next time we go to show Hunter another animal, we'll leave Chief with you," Johnny said.

"Does it hurt?" Caroline traced a leash line in Mike's hand with her finger.

He smiled at her, "Nah, I'm tough."

"My big strong fireman," Caroline said, leaning close to him and kissing him on the lips.

Mike smiled down at her and leaned in for a second kiss.

"Get a room," Johnny coughed the words to pretend he wasn't really saying anything.

Ainsley swatted his arm.

Mike laughed. "Please, like you're any different. We should get going though; I promised Captain Stanley I'd come by tonight and help him finish the siding on his garage."

"Oh, I didn't realize you had other plans. I was hoping we'd go over to Traver Park, they're having a movie in the park night."

"Sorry, Cap promised his wife he'd have this done last week. He'll be in the dog house if he doesn't get it done before we go back on shift and he still has a lot of work to do."

"You guys need any help?"

"I hate to take you away from your family," Mike said, knowing they could use the help.

"He can spare a few hours. He can help me bath Hunter when we get home and then head over. I'd say before the bath, but it's gotten really hard for me to kneel down and lean over the tub," Ainsley smiled, running her hand over her belly.

"I'll come for a couple hours and I'll bring Roy with me," Johnny said.

"Great, we'll see you guys later tonight then. I'm gonna drive Caroline home and head over in just a bit," Mike slipped his arm around Caroline's shoulders and turned to head toward the parking lot.

"She seems nice," Johnny commented as he watched Mike and Caroline head toward his truck.

"I guess."

"Ainsley," Johnny's voice grew serious. "Mike likes her and she seems nice. I know you're disappointed that things didn't work out with Meg, but Mike told me, it was her idea to end things when she left to go take care of her dad. She told Mike that she needed to focus on taking care of her dad and she didn't want him waiting for her. Mike likes Caroline and wants to see where this goes."

"I know. But, Meg is so sweet and she's had a tough life. She deserves a guy like Mike."

Johnny wrapped his arm around Ainsley's shoulders and pulled her close kissing her temple. "I'm sure she'll find someone."

Ainsley shrugged. "I guess. I can see why Mike is attracted to Caroline, she is very pretty."

It was Johnny's turn to shrug, "I guess."

Ainsley playfully swatted his arm. "I may have pregnancy brain, but I'm not that stupid, I know you noticed she was a beautiful woman."

"What can I say, I'm partial to blondes," Johnny pulled her in for a kiss.

"You know what Mike would say," Ainsley smiled at him.

"Get a room," Johnny did the same coughing thing he had done with Mike.

Ainsley laughed.

E

Mike pulled into the parking lot for Caroline's apartment complex. He parked the truck, got out and walked around the truck to open her door.

"You don't have to walk me up," Caroline said, getting out of the truck. "I know you need to get over to your Captain's house." She leaned up to give Mike a kiss, but he took a step back.

"Nonsense, I have time to walk you to your door." Mike took her hand and walked toward the building. "Which one is your apartment?"

"1D. But, really Mike, you don't have to walk me."

"Do you not want me to walk you?" Mike asked, stopping and looking down at her.

"It's just…," Caroline paused. "I just moved here a couple days before I met you and I still have boxes and stuff everywhere. I want the place to be unpacked and organized before you see it."

Mike smiled. "Then, I promise, I'll say good-bye at the door."

Caroline smiled and let Mike take her hand and lead her to her apartment door.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. Mike wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her slowly, enjoying the smell of her perfume as he held her close. She tasted like the cotton candy he had bought her on the way back to the truck. She had eaten a few bites in the truck and then insisted on leaving the bag with him, stating that she had to watch her weight.

Mike hummed to himself as he headed back to his truck. He wasn't sure what it was about Caroline, but she intrigued him. He couldn't quite put his finger on why, but she made him slightly uneasy, while making him feel wanted and important at the same time.

Mike jumped into his truck and headed toward Captain Stanley's house. He didn't see the car that pulled out of the apartment parking lot less than a minute after him, and followed him to Captain Stanley's house.


	2. Chapter 2

"I ran into Johnny and Ainsley earlier today, Johnny's gonna spend a few more hours with Ainsley and Hunter then he's gonna grab Roy and come over to help," Mike said, as he and Captain Stanley moved toward the garage to start taking out the materials they would need.

"That's great. Beth's gonna be home on Monday and if this garage isn't done," Hank shook his head, "I'm just gonna volunteer for both B and C shifts this week."

Mike smiled, Beth was super nice, but she did expect that her husband would get done the tasks on her honey do list, at least in some sort of timely fashion. "Well, she did you give 3 months to get this done."

"Whose side are you on?" Hank looked at Mike.

Mike just smiled and grabbed the ladder, moving toward the side of the garage.

E

"You sure you're okay with me heading out?" Johnny asked Ainsley, as he watched her struggle to get down on the floor to play blocks with Hunter.

Ainsley smiled up at him. "Beth told me that Hank was at the deadline for getting the siding on the garage done. She was only going to be gone 4 days, but gave Hank the extra 3 days knowing he'd need it. She's back Monday. Your Captain needs you."

Johnny smiled. "I won't be too late. Do you need me to pick anything up from the store while I'm out?"

"Can you check on how we are doing on milk?"

Johnny walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. There was less than a ½ gallon. He walked back into the living room. "You'll be okay tonight, but I'll bring home another gallon." Johnny bent over, picked up Hunter and gave the little boy a hug and kiss. "You be good for your momma."

He put Hunter back down and got down on the floor next to Ainsley. "I love you, my wife."

"I love you, my husband."

Johnny pulled her close and gave her a long, lingering kiss. He ran a hand down her side and rubbed her belly. "Think you'll still be up when I get home?" Johnny asked, letting his eyes wander down his wife's body. She was so sexy when she was pregnant.

Ainsley let her hand stroke Johnny's cheek and then slide down his neck and down the edge of his shirt, along his chest. "I'll try."

Johnny reluctantly got off the floor and headed out the door. He'd talked to Roy earlier and knew he'd be waiting for him.

E

"How on earth did you think the two of you were gonna get this done without help?" Roy asked, running his arm across his forehead to stop the sweat that threatened to drip into his eyes.

"I don't have that much left to do," Hank said, eyeing the side of the garage they had just finished.

"We just worked 2 hours and only have one side of the garage done. We have the entire back and more than half of the other side, then all the cutting for the front," Johnny said, moving around to the back of the garage and over to the next side. He walked back around to the front of the garage.

"Well, maybe if you twits stopped talking and started working we'd be getting more done," Hank said, his voice with a slight edge.

"Yeah, cause we're the twits that waited three months to start this project," Mike shot back, a smile on his face.

"Alright, how do we tackle this to get it done this weekend," Hank said.

"You and Mike tackle the other side. Johnny and I will work on the back and then tomorrow we'll only have to do the front; but you're buying pizza and beer tomorrow," Roy said, moving some of the siding around to the back of the garage.

The guys worked with minimal chit chat as the struggled to get the project to a stage where it was realistic to think they would finish tomorrow.

Mike lifted the ladder back to the hooks on the side wall inside the garage. He placed his hands on his back and leaned backward stretching his stiff muscles.

"Getting old there, Mike," Johnny teased.

"With baby number two on the way, give yourself six-months Gage," Mike shot back.

Johnny laughed. "Can't wait."

"Thanks, guys. So what, another couple hour's tomorrow?" Hank asked.

"Probably at least 5," Roy said. "Johnny and I have about 1/2 of the back wall still to do, and all the front."

"Can you guys come over about 10:00 AM?" Hank asked.

"We'll be here," Roy said, volunteering Johnny and himself.

Mike frowned slightly.

"Problem Mike?"

"No, I was supposed to take Caroline out. She wanted to buy a new couch and then we were going to go to dinner and a movie. I'll see if she can shop without me. We can pick the couch up later."

"You sure, the three of us can handle this," Hank gave his young Engineer a way out.

"No way. If we're giving up family time he can delay his girlfriend for a few hours," Johnny said.

"C'mon, he's still in the beginning stages of a relationship where she hasn't realized all his faults," Roy came to Mike's defense.

"Thanks, a lot," Mike deadpanned. "I'll be here at 10."

Mike walked out to his truck with Johnny and Roy. He waved as he got into his truck and headed back to his apartment.

Mike narrowed his eyes as he pulled into the parking lot, several teenage boys were hanging out, leaning against cars, a six-pack clearly visible. He recognized one of the boys as Adam Jackson; the son of a neighbor. Mike knew Adam was not quite sixteen.

Mike parked is truck and walked over to the group of boys. "Hey, Adam."

"Oh, Hi, Mr. Stoker," Adam tried to move to block Mike's view of the beer.

"Whatcha doin?"

"Just hanging with my friends."

"Uh-huh," Mike said, reaching around the young boy to grab the beer. "None of you look like you're over the age of 21, so I'm just gonna take this and dispose of it properly for you."

"Man, you can't steal our beer," One of the boys stepped forward.

"Show me ID proving you're over 21 and you can have it back," Mike said.

"Man, you're such an old fogey," the kid said.

"Yep," Mike said, moving toward his apartment. He let himself into the apartment and dropped the beer in his fridge. He looked at the clock and decided he would call Caroline tonight to tell her he had to change plans for tomorrow.

He reached for the phone, but it rang before he could pick it up. Mike briefly pulled his hand back, shocked by the sudden sound in the quiet apartment.

"Hi, Stoker, here," Mike answered.

There was a pause with no sound, but Mike could tell someone was on the line.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mike."

Mike smiled at the soft, hesitant voice, "Hey, Meg. How are you?"

"I'm doing good, thanks for asking."

Mike frowned, Meg sounded sad and she was obviously nervous talking to him. "Are you sure? Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Well, I feel kind of bad asking and don't hesitate to say no, but we were talking in a staff meeting today and Principal Haggerty wants to do a safety demonstration for the kids in the first few weeks of school and he wants to get the police department, fire department and nurses or doctors out to talk to the kids. I was assigned the task of seeing if I could get a fire station to come out. They want to show off the Engine and have the firemen talk about what kids should do in certain emergency situations. I was hoping maybe you could come out?"

Mike hesitated before answering.

"Or recommend how I go about asking another station," Meg quickly added. "I don't want to intrude, or put you in an uncomfortable position."

"Meg, I'm not uncomfortable and I bet the guys would love to participate. I was just thinking through the logistics. We have to ask permission from Chief McConnike because they have to take the Station out of service while the equipment and men are at the school. I was just wondering when I would be able to see Chief McConnike in person, or if I needed to call his office."

Meg was quiet on the phone.

"Meg, I'd like us to stay friends," Mike addressed the uncomfortable silence coming from her end of the line. "I like being able to help you, and I miss our conversations; you always stretched my thinking on all kinds of subjects and things I thought were boring in school, like history, you discussed it in a way that captured my attention."

"Thank you," Meg said quietly. "I miss our talks too."

"Let me talk to Captain Stanley and see how he wants to handle the request and I'll get back to you."

"I would have asked Ashley to ask Johnny, but with the baby due so soon, I just didn't want to put anything extra on her plate," Meg said, trying to explain again why she called Mike.

"I'm glad you called me," Mike assured her.

"Thank you, Mike."

"I'll call you in a few days," Mike said. "Night, Meg."

"Goodnight, Mike."

Meg held the phone and frowned feeling disappointment wash over her. Mike was such a great guy; it was just too bad that things had played out the way they did. She had really thought they had something special and had even let herself think it was possible he was "the one".

Mike looked at the clock. He decided he would rather call Caroline in the morning. The day was catching up to him and he was ready to get some sleep.

E

"Caroline, I am really sorry," Mike said, as the silence lingered on the phone. "We need like 5 or 6 hours with all of us working on the garage and then I'll be free. I can still pick up the couch for you and help you get it back to your apartment."

"Ok."

"Caroline," Mike knew she was mad from the shortness of her answer. "Please don't be mad."

"I'm not mad."

"Really? You sound mad."

"I'm not mad. I'm disappointed. I like spending time with you and I'd like your opinion, but I'll get a girlfriend to go with me and we'll catch up later," Caroline said, her voice relaxing.

"I promise, tonight is all about you."

"I like the sound of that," Caroline said softly into the phone. "Maybe I need to show you how much you can enjoy being with me so you don't make other plans so easily," Caroline teased, her voice low and sexy.

"Now I like the sound of that," Mike smiled.

"Go help your Captain, pick me up by 5:00 PM?"

"Absolutely," Mike promised.

E

Mike finished getting ready and hurried down the stairs toward his truck. "What the hell," Mike stopped and just looked at his truck, a long scratch running down the driver's side from the middle of the bed of the truck, all the way toward the wheel well at the front of the truck. Mike ran a finger over the deep gouge. Someone had obviously taken a key and ran it along the side of his truck, pushing hard into the metal.

Mike looked toward Adam's apartment. He really didn't think Adam would have done this, but any of the other boys from last night were likely suspects. Especially the boy that had told Mike he couldn't steal their beer. Mike looked at his watch. He needed to get to his Captain's. He'd talk to Adam later and call his insurance company to see if it was worth making a claim or just paying out of pocket.

Mike sighed as he climbed into the truck. It was a fairly new vehicle and he was pretty upset about the intentional damage. Mike tried to put it out of his mind while he drove, but it was really bugging him.

"Man, Mike, what happened?" Johnny asked, as Mike got out of his truck.

"Stupid teenagers," Mike grumbled. "They were drinking beer in the parking lot and I took it from them. Can you believe this?" Mike looked at the long gash again.

"You shoulda just let them keep the beer," Johnny said, inspecting how deep the gouge was.

"Gage…"

"Relax, you know I'm kidding. You gonna tell their parents?"

"I'm gonna talk to Adam first and see if he'll tell me which kid did it. But, yeah, if I can't get him to talk to me I'm gonna have to fill out a police report so the police will probably talk to the parents. I just can't believe that they would do it. I mean, we all pulled stupid stunts as kids, but we would have never destroyed the property of the adult that busted us," Mike said, his voice thick with disappointment.

"Kids now a days have no respect for authority," Roy chimed in. "We would have never pulled the stuff we see on most of our runs."

Mike and Johnny nodded in agreement.

"You should call the police here and have them come out to complete the report while you're here," Roy suggested.

"No, I wanna talk to Adam first and see if I can get him to come clean. If I can just work it out with the kid, I think that's a better way of teaching him a lesson."

The guys got to work and the subject of Mike's truck gave way to a one-up-menship competition of stories of the stunts each man had pulled off when he was young.

The guys stepped back and examined their work a few hours later. "Nice garage, Cap," Johnny said, lifting his can of beer in salute to Captain.

"Thanks, guys, I couldn't have done it without ya." Captain Stanley said.

Mike glanced at his watch. "If there's nothing else I'm hoping to get home and take a quick shower before I pick Caroline up at 5:00 PM."

Roy glanced at his watch, "You'd better get moving."

"One more thing," Mike said, looking over at Captain Stanley. "Meg called me last night, the school wants to do a safety assembly for the students and was wondering if we would be willing to be a part of it?"

"That sounds like a good idea," Hank agreed. "I'm meeting with Chief McConnike on Wednesday afternoon and can let you know on shift Thursday. Is that enough time for her?"

Mike nodded, "I think so. I'll give her a call just to let her know we'll know for sure by Thursday."

Mike couldn't help but frown as he opened his truck door. He was going to have to get this fixed soon because now every time he looked at his truck he felt a little depressed.

Mike quickly drove home and took the stairs toward his apartment two at a time, quickly unlocking his door and heading toward his bedroom. He dropped his dirty, sweaty clothes in the hamper in his bathroom and reached in to turn on the water. As the water warmed up, he ducked into his bedroom and pulled out a clean pair of pants and a nice shirt. He already had a plan in his head, there was a quaint Italian restaurant on the beach that was a hidden treasure. The building didn't look like all that much, but the food was excellent and the service was fantastic. He figured he could take Caroline to a nice dinner and then a quiet walk on the beach.

Mike jumped into the shower, quickly pouring shampoo into his palm and lathering his hair. He let the shampoo sit while he soaped his body. He quickly rinsed off and grabbed a towel rubbing his hair dry and quickly drying his body. Mike dressed, brushed his hair and quickly shaved just to make sure he wasn't scruffy when he kissed Caroline.

Mike grabbed a bag with a blanket in it, he thought it would be nice to sit on the beach and look at the stars, there were a few clouds, but maybe he'd get lucky and the evening sky would be clear.

Mike locked the door as he stepped out of his apartment, and immediately spotted Adam crossing the parking lot, it appeared he was heading toward the store on the corner of the block. "Adam!"

"Adam!" Mike called out louder when the boy didn't turn at his first call.

The boy turned and looked at Mike.

"Hold up," Mike called out.

Mike went down the stairs and crossed the parking lot toward Adam.

"Did you see my truck?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, I did, what happened?"

"I was gonna ask you that?" Mike said, his eyes locking with Adam's.

"Why me?" Adam looked confused and then his eyes widened as he got Mike's message. "Wait, you think I did that. No way….Hey, man, I know you took the beer, but you coulda squealed to my parents and you didn't. I got no beef with you."

"What about your friends?" Mike asked.

"They were mad, but none of them would do that. In fact, a lot of them are building their own cars, they respect cars way too much to trash your truck." Adam insisted.

Mike was skeptical, but there wasn't anywhere to push the conversation just yet. "Talk to your friends for me, find out if they know anything. If they did it and they come clean, I won't take it to the cops."

"Mike, look, the guys left not long after you took the beer, they all have curfews. I seriously doubt they did it, but I'll ask around."

Mike nodded and headed toward his truck. He glanced at the clock as he turned the key in the ignition, he shook his head, he was gonna be late.

E

"You're late," Caroline said, as she opened the door for Mike.

"I know, I'm sorry," Mike said, waiting for him to invite her in.

Instead, Caroline stepped out of the apartment closing the door behind her. "I'm just teasing, but I do have a couch I want your opinion on and the store closes at 6, I think we'll make it if we leave now."

Mike slipped his arm around her shoulders and headed toward his truck. He still wasn't sure why it was so important to her that he have a say in her couch, but he kinda liked the feeling it gave him that she valued his opinion on something like that. Plus, she wasn't mad at him, so he'd practically do anything for her right now. "Your carriage awaits."

Mike drove to the furniture store based on Caroline's directions and followed her into the store.

"It's in the back," Caroline said, as she weaved her way between the dining room tables that were set up as soon as you walked into the store.

Mike followed her and stopped when she did. "Whatdya think?"

Mike took in the large sofa with the orange and blank swirled velvet. It wasn't particularly his taste, but he'd seen similar items in some of the larger homes they had been to on fire calls and knew this was the choice of the upper class. "Looks expensive," Mike said, figuring that was an honest enough statement.

"It is, but it will hold up for a really long time," Caroline agreed. "I just am not a fan of the red velvet and the mustard yellow color just is not my style."

"It's important you get something that is going to make you enjoy coming home."

"Would you enjoy coming home to this?" Caroline asked, sliding closer to Mike.

"Uh, I mean, I guess, guys aren't really picky about furniture," Mike stammered. He liked Caroline, but it was definitely too early to be discussing that type of commitment.

Caroline laughed. "Relax, Mike, I'm just messing with you. We're just getting to know each other. My parents come to visit a lot though and my dad is about your height, given I am like 6 inches shorter, what is comfortable for me can be really uncomfortable for him. I just want you to sit in it and make sure it holds your height okay."

Mike laughed and visibly relaxed.

"You are so cute trying to figure out how not to offend me," Caroline laughed and stood on her tip toes to kiss his cheek. "Will you sit and tell me what you think?"

Mike moved over to sit on the couch. It was surprisingly comfortable. He leaned back and stretched his arm out, inviting Caroline to sit next to him. She smiled and moved to sit down next to him, snuggling up and resting her head on his shoulder.

"I can see sitting like this for a couple hours watching a movie with you," Mike said.

"Sounds like a sale to me," the salesman said.

"Definitely," Caroline agreed. "Can you have it delivered next week?"

"I can help you get it home," Mike offered.

"Delivery is free with purchase," Caroline said, following the salesman toward the office to pay for the couch.

Mike looked around, maybe picking out furniture with a girlfriend wasn't such a bad thing after all.

E

Mike held the door of the restaurant for Caroline, and then followed her out into the cool night air. Caroline shivered slightly. Mike slipped off his coat and helped her put it on. "Do you feel like a walk on the beach, or are you too cold?"

Caroline pulled the coat tighter, breathing in the faint scent of Mike's cologne. "After all that fabulous pasta, I need a walk," Caroline said, laughter in her voice.

Mike led the way down the stairs and toward the edge of the sand just out of reach of the water. They walked hand in hand in silence for a few minutes until Mike spotted the silhouette of a person perched on a rock. It was fairly dark and he couldn't see if it the figures was a man or a woman. He moved Caroline to his other side so he was between her and the person.

"Everything okay?" Mike said, as he neared the person. At that moment a cloud moved and the full moon lit the area and Mike recognized Megan.

Megan quickly moved her hand into her pocket and looked over at Mike. She wiped at the tears that were sliding down her cheek with the hand that held a Kleenex. "Mike, hi, yeah, I'm fine. Just…," she didn't finish the sentence.

Mike didn't say anything. He was almost positive the reason Meg had slid her hand into her pocket is because she was holding the strip of pictures they had taken in one of those photo booths on their last date. He remembered the day well, one of those pictures was them kissing.

"Hi, I'm Caroline," Caroline said, interrupting the silence.

"Hi," Meg said quietly. "It's getting late; I should head home. Enjoy your night."

"Meg, are you sure you're okay?" Mike asked as she walked past him, he reached out and touched her arm.

"I'm good, thanks." Meg kept moving, feeling the tears starting to sting her eyes again.

Caroline waited until she and Mike had been walking for almost another minute. "So, how long did you and Meg date?"

Mike looked over at her.

Caroline just raised an eyebrow.

"We went out a few times this past Spring. But then her dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer and she left to go take care of him."

"And, you ended things before she left or while she was gone?"

"She ended things, before she left."

Caroline slid her hand out of Mike's and slipped her arm around his waist.

"We had only been out a few times, she wasn't sure how long she'd be gone. It just wasn't meant to be," Mike said, feeling like his explanation was missing something.

"It wasn't meant to be," Caroline said. She stopped walking and waited for him to turn and look at her. "You were meant to find me," she whispered, before slipping her hand behind his head, weaving her fingers into his brown hair and pulling him down to meet her lips.


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Mike threw his bag on the ground and just looked at the slashed tires on his truck, not one, not two, but all four tires had long gashes.

"Mike, everything okay man?" Joe, one of his neighbors called to him from the staircase.

"Someone slashed my tires," Mike responded. "Joe, can you give me a ride, I've got to get to the station for my shift."

"Don't you wanna call the police?"

"I'll do it from the station. I can't be late."

"Okay, hop in," Joe moved toward his car. Mike grabbed his bag and jogged over to the passenger side. He took one last look at his truck as Joe pulled out of the parking lot.

Chet paused as a strange car pulled into the fire station parking lot. He watched as Mike got out of the car. "What happened to your truck, Mike?"

"Not now, Chet," Mike was in no mood for any of Chet's sarcastic comments.

"What'd I say?" Chet asked defensively as the Engineer moved past him and into the station.

Mike went into the locker room and dropped his bag on the floor. He kicked off his tennis shoes and put them in the bottom of his locker. Chet came into the room. "Seriously, man, what happened to your truck?"

"Someone slashed my tires," Mike grumbled, as he pulled his shirt over his head.

"What? Seriously? It wasn't just a flat from running over a nail or something?"

"All four tires, with 2 inch gashes?"

"Man, what'd you do to who?"

Mike gave Chet a dirty look as he stripped off his jeans and folded them up to put in his bag. He pulled out his uniform pants and slid them on as Marco entered the room.

"Hey, Mike, I didn't realize you were already here. Where's your truck?"

"Someone slashed his tires," Chet said.

"Seriously?"

Mike just looked at them both, shut his locker and walked out of the locker room, still buttoning his shirt.

Marco and Chet exchanged looks.

Mike glanced at his watch. He'd wait to call the police after roll call.

E

"Alright, any questions?" Captain Stanley asked as he finished roll call.

"Yeah, what are we gonna do about someone messing up Mike's truck?" Chet asked.

"Drop it, Chet." Mike said.

"Did you tell them about someone keying your truck?" Johnny asked.

"Someone slashed the tires and keyed your truck?" Marco looked shocked.

"Slashed your tires," Roy and Captain Stanley said in unison.

"Not now, guys, really, I gotta call the police and make a report before we get a run," Mike said, moving toward the kitchen.

"Mike, why don't you use my office," Captain Stanley offered.

Mike nodded and moved toward the Captain's office. "You guys think this is still related to the incident with the teenage boys?" Captain Stanley asked Johnny and Roy.

"What incident with teenage boys?" Chet asked.

"Mike got home Saturday night to find some teenage boys getting ready to drink beer in the parking lot; they were like 16. Mike took the beer," Roy explained.

"So you think they slashed his tires and keyed his truck?" Marco asked.

"Sounds like something teenagers would do," Johnny said, heading for the coffee pot.

"I hope that's all it is," Captain Stanley said.

"What else do you think it could be, Cap?" Chet asked.

"Nothin'."

"You're thinking about Tim, aren't you?" Roy asked.

"How'd you know?"

"Cause it was the first thing I thought of when I saw Mike's truck yesterday. I know it's stupid, Tim is gone; but I guess it's the first deliberate act against any of us since all those incidents," Roy admitted.

"Like you said, Tim's gone," Johnny said. "I'm sure this is gonna turn out to be nothing more than teenagers trying to pay Mike back for taking their beer."

"You're probably right," Captain Stanley said.

Mike joined them a few minutes later. "They're gonna send over a patrol officer to look at my truck and then come here to take my statement."

"Did you tell them about Adam and his friends?" Captain Stanley asked.

"Yeah," Mike shook his head. "I confronted Adam yesterday and told him to talk to his friends. That's probably what got my tires slashed." Mike sat down at the table feeling dejected.

Marco slid a cup of coffee in front of him.

Mike nodded his thanks.

The men stayed quiet for a moment, not sure what to say to cheer Mike up. They didn't have to wait long as the klaxons sounded calling out the station to a multi-vehicle accident.

E

"How are you doing, really?" Ainsley asked Meg as she set a cup of coffee in front of her. Chief was sitting next to her, his head on her lap. Meg was absent-mindedly stroking the dog's ears.

Meg gave her a small smile. "I'm doing okay, really. I just miss my dad. I keep thinking that I'm an orphan now," Meg brushed at the tears that stung her eyes.

Ainsley put a hand over hers. "I can't imagine how hard that must be."

"I was so angry when I lost my mom," Meg said. "In some ways I think that was easier. Now I just keep thinking of all the things I'm gonna miss. You know what the worst part is, my dad's never gonna meet the man I marry. He's never gonna be able to walk me down the aisle. When I first went home, I let myself believe that maybe Mike and I would work out and at least my dad would have met my future husband."

"Mike met your dad?" Ainsley asked, surprised by that statement.

"Yeah, my dad came down for Memorial Day. It wasn't a formal meeting, we just happen to run into Mike at the hardware store, dad was helping me install a screen door on my back porch. We didn't talk long, Mike and I had only been on two dates and I didn't want it to be this "meet the dad" event. I just introduced them, they chatted about the benefits of one screen door over another and Dad said maybe he'd see Mike again. Dad asked about him when I first got there, I didn't have the heart to tell him that I ended things because I left to take care of him."

Ainsley wiped at a tear that slid down her cheek.

"Don't you start crying too," Meg said, trying to laugh.

"I can't help it," Ainsley said, reaching for a Kleenex. "These pregnancy hormones have me balling like a baby."

"Baby," Hunter repeated and patted Ainsley's belly.

"Very good, Hunter," Meg said. "That's your new baby brother or sister."

"Baby."

"He's so smart, Ainsley. Are you looking forward to having an extra four-months home with him?"

"Yes and no. I love that I have more time with him; but I'm gonna miss having my students. I walk into stores and see all the crayons and pencils and I want to start getting stuff ready for my classroom; but being due just a few weeks after school started, it just made more sense to stay out until January."

"You're so lucky; Johnny loves you so much, and you've got Hunter with another baby on the way," Meg teared up again. "I ran into Mike with his new girlfriend last night."

Ainsley handed Meg a Kleenex. "So you met Caroline?"

"You've met her?"

"Just this weekend," Ainsley admitted. "We ran into them down at the pier on Saturday."

"She's very beautiful," Meg said, quietly.

"So are you," Ainsley told her.

"Is she nice?"

Ainsley shrugged.

"It's okay, Ainsley. I want him to find someone nice. Mike's a great guy, he deserves someone special."

"So do you."

Meg shrugged. "I'm probably not in the best place for a relationship right now. I just keep thinking about all the what if's with Mike. What if when I told him we should stop seeing each other while I was gone he would have said no? I was really hoping he would. I didn't want to put him in a position where he felt like he had to wait for me, but I really wanted him to tell me that he cared about me and wanted to wait and give us a chance. It's stupid, I know, but I'm a little angry that he didn't give us a chance. He'd known her less time than he'd known me when I came back, why did he choose her over me?"

"Don't think of it like that, Meg. Mike really liked you, but he didn't want to push you into something you weren't comfortable with."

Meg just nodded. "I really should be going. I just wanted to stop by and see how you were feeling. I didn't mean to dump all my issues on you," Meg said, as she stood up.

"Meg, stay, have lunch with me."

"No, thanks, Ainsley. I need to go get my class supplies and start getting ready for the new school year. Thanks for the coffee though."

Ainsley made it to the door in time to see her friend pulling out of the driveway. "Poor Meg," she said out loud.

E

"Do you know the names of any of the other boys that were there that night?" The police officer asked Mike.

"No, Adam was the only one I'd seen before. I talked to him yesterday and he didn't seem to think any of his friends would have done it."

"Of course he didn't," the officer said.

"Everything I know about Adam, he's a good kid," Mike said.

"Who is 16, had somehow illegally obtained beer and was going to drink it with his underage friends in a parking lot," the police officer stated.

"He's a typical teenager, but I don't see him as the type to be destructive."

"Well, we'll see what happens when we talk to him and his parent's," the officer said, closing his notebook.

Mike just nodded. He felt bad it had come to this, but these boys had to learn they couldn't behave like this.

Mike had just walked the police officer out, when Chet called out to him to tell him he had a phone call.

"Stoker," Mike said, taking the phone from Chet.

"Hi, Mike."

"Caroline, is everything okay?"

"Yes, I just had a minute and thought I'd give you a call and see how you were feeling this morning. I know you work until tomorrow morning, but I'm off on Tuesday and have the opportunity to use a sailboat for the day. I wanted to see if you wanted to sail to Catalina for the day?"

"Caroline, I'll be honest, it depends on," the klaxons sounded, "Caroline, I've gotta go." Mike hung up the phone before she could respond.

Caroline looked at the phone after she heard the click and realized Mike had hung up on her. The drawback of dating a fireman was his job was always going to come first. She wasn't sure if they were on for Tuesday or not.

"Caroline?"

Caroline turned to look at the head librarian.

"We still have all those microfiche sheets that need to be cataloged. Can you go into the back and start working on that project?"

"Sure, happy to help," Caroline smiled at the woman, but when she turned away Caroline could not help but roll her eyes. That woman could not grasp Caroline's actual position and kept asking her to do these menial tasks.

Caroline moved into the back room and looked at the stacks of flat sheets of converted newspaper articles. Cataloging it meant reading each microfiche sheet, documenting what was on each sheet and then creating a card for when people searched for those items. Caroline sat down and pulled the first sheet from the pile. She slid it into the machine and the first images came up on the screen. She wrote down the name of the newspaper, the date and then read the first title to document that as well. The article was on a rezoning meeting that had gotten heated over the budget for changes to one neighborhood's request to add sidewalks. "This is going to be a very long, boring project," Caroline said out loud as she looked at the stacks and stacks of flat sheets. She really hoped Mike could go sailing tomorrow, she needed to look forward to something.

E

"Can one of you give me a ride home?" Mike asked, his voice raspy from lack of sleep. It had been a crazy night with one call after another.

Johnny yawned, "Sure, you're not too far from me, I'll give you a ride."

"Thanks."

The guys walked out to Johnny's Rover. Johnny closed his eyes briefly before he started the Rover, the bright sunlight making them water slightly. He couldn't remember the last time he had not gotten any sleep on a shift. They had done 20 runs in 24 hours; Johnny would not have even guessed it possible. Most of the time, they had never even made it back to the station before getting called out again.

"It was a rough night," Mike said, covering a yawn.

"The worst I remember in a long time," Johnny said, starting the Rover and maneuvering to pull out onto the road towards Mike's apartment.

"All I want to do is climb into bed and sleep the next 10 hours," Mike agreed.

"There are many, many benefits to having a wife," Johnny said, as he stopped at a red light. "But days like this, I appreciate the fact I will drop my bag by the back door, she'll have a hot breakfast waiting for me and then I can climb into bed. When I wake up, my laundry will be clean and everything ready for my next shift."

"Just rub it in why don't ya Gage," Mike growled. "I'm gonna actually go home, and not eat a hot breakfast and crawl into bed, but eat a bowl of cereal while on hold with an insurance company for an hour trying to get my truck fixed."

"Sorry, man. But, who knows, maybe someday you'll be going home and Caroline will be taking care of you."

"Woah, hold your horses, man. We just started dating, no one's talking, or even thinking marriage," Mike held up his hand, in a stop motion to Johnny.

"I was just teasing you man; but marriage is great, you should start thinking about it."

"I'm not against marriage; I'm just not at a point to be thinking about it with Caroline," Mike mumbled. He wasn't sure why not, she was beautiful, fun and exciting, it just seemed too soon.

"I am not rushing you. It's got to be right," Johnny said, pulling into Mike's parking lot. "Man, that is a sad sight," Johnny said, taking in Mike's truck.

"Tell me about it," Mike said, shaking his head. "I really shoulda just let them drink the beer."

Mike got out Johnny's Rover, glanced again at his truck and just headed toward his apartment.

Johnny couldn't explain why, but he felt the need to stay and make sure Mike got into his apartment. Once he opened his door, Johnny took one last look at Mike's truck and headed home. He could feel his stomach pulling in from hunger and briefly wondered what Ainsley would make him for breakfast.

E

Johnny pulled into the driveway surprised Chief was not outside. The house actually looked locked up tight. Johnny went to open the door and was surprised to find it still locked. He used his key to unlock the door; Chief bolted past him and ran out into the yard to use the bathroom. Johnny looked at the dog and quickly moved into the house. "Ainsley?"

When he didn't hear any sounds, he felt the worry creep into his chest. "Ainsley!" Johnny called louder, as he dropped his bag and moved into the house. Dinner dishes were still stacked in the sink, there was no breakfast waiting for him, Johnny bit back a curse as he stepped on one of Hunter's blocks. Toys were strewn all over the living room and hallway. "Ainsley!"

At his louder call, he heard Hunter start screaming. Johnny raced through the rest of the house to Hunter's room. "Thanks a lot," Ainsley said sarcastically, she was sitting in the rocking chair in Hunter's room, the little boy now sitting up on her lap crying loudly.

"What's goin' on?" Johnny asked, looking at the mess in the room.

Hunter just proceeded to scream louder.

Ainsley struggled to stand up, but couldn't do it with the little boy laying on her. Johnny reached over and picked up Hunter, kissing his forehead. "Hey, he's running a fever."

"I know," Ainsley said, still struggling to stand up. She groaned as she finally got to her feet and stretched. "I think he's got an ear infection. Every time I tried to lay him down last night he started screaming his head off. I've been giving him children's Tylenol since about 6:00 PM last night. I'm gonna go call the doctor's office right now and see if I can get him in."

"Why didn't you call me?" Johnny asked, trying to soothe Hunter as he followed Ainsley out of the room.

Ainsley turned around for just a moment and gave him a look of 'you know why'.

"We are not Joanne and Roy; you need to call me when there are problems," Johnny said.

"No, you do not need to be distracted by small problems you can't do anything about when you're on shift. There wasn't anything you could do. And I'm not incompetent."

"I coulda told you if he needed a trip to the Emergency room."

"It's an ear infection, Johnny. He doesn't need to go to the ER. He's your son, not a patient."

"I know about medical issues, Ainsley."

Ainsley picked up the phone and looked over at him. "I know you do, Johnny. But, he has an ear infection, his fever has stayed low on Tylenol and I will take him to the doctor this morning. I didn't need to worry you at work. And before you get all huffy, I did call Dixie and give her all the symptoms, she confirmed he could wait to this morning. Now if you don't mind, I won't be able to hear the receptionist at the doctor's office with Hunter screaming his head off. Will you please take him in the bedroom while I call."

Johnny walked Hunter back toward his room. He passed the little boy's room and glanced into their bedroom. Just as he suspected, the bed was still neatly made, Ainsley had never made it to bed last night, no wonder she was cranky. He walked back into Hunter's room and sat in the rocker, hoping to help the little boy relax; but Hunter kept softly crying and pulling at his ear. "It's okay, bud. You'll feel better soon."

Ainsley came back in the room and Johnny took in the dark circles under her eyes. "The doctor can see him at 9:00 AM. Can you change his diaper while I change my clothes? I need to leave in the next 10 minutes in order to make that," Ainsley was already walking away toward their bedroom.

"Just go to bed, Ains, I'll take him," Johnny moved the little boy to the changing table and began changing is diaper.

Ainsley said nothing and Johnny could hear her continuing to move down the hall. He was a little surprised she didn't at least thank him for his offer; he was exhausted too. Johnny finished the diaper and grabbed the diaper bag from the closet. Ainsley appeared in the doorway. She had changed clothes, brushed her hair and put on a little bit of make-up. "What are you doing?" Johnny asked her.

"Taking Hunter to the pediatrician," Ainsley said, her voice exasperated.

"No, you're going to bed and I'm taking Hunter." Johnny said, slinging the diaper bag over his shoulder.

"I can tell you haven't slept all night, Johnny. You're exhausted. Just go to bed, I've got this," Ainsley argued.

"I know you haven't slept all night either and you're pregnant."

"I want to be there," Ainsley argued, looking at her little boy who looked so miserable.

"I know you do," Johnny said, moving over to her. "But, I can't take care of our unborn baby, only you can. So you go take care of that baby, and I'll take care of this one."

Ainsley hesitated.

"I'm not gonna let you drive considering how tired you look," Johnny said. "So either you're gonna go to bed and get some sleep and when you wake up I'll trade you places; or we're both gonna go, get even more exhausted and be cranky all night long."

"It doesn't make me a bad mom not to be with my sick little boy?" Ainsley said, looking up at him.

"Your trusting your husband to be able to take care of one kid, while you take care of the other. Let me take care of you and that baby by taking care of Hunter, okay," Johnny leaned forward and kissed her forward.

"Sorry I was cranky when you got home."

"Get some sleep," Johnny jerked his head toward their bedroom.

Ainsley moved toward the bedroom, but was doubtful she would be able to sleep worrying about Hunter, and knowing Johnny was so tired. She laid down planning on just closing her eyes until he left and then she told herself she'd get up and make him a nice breakfast for when he got home.

E

"What time is it?" Ainsley asked, as she walked down the hallway.

"4:20 PM," Johnny answered from the kitchen. Ainsley saw that he had cleaned up all of Hunter's toys, washed the dishes and she could smell dinner cooking while Johnny had Hunter sitting in his booster chair, feeding him his dinner.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I intended to get up and take care of all this while you were at the doctor's office. How's Hunter?" Ainsley looked at her little boy, who already looked much better.

"You were right, ear infection. They gave him an antibiotic, we've already had two doses. We came home and Hunter took a 3-hour nap. I got the house picked up and managed to get in an hour nap on the couch myself."

"Why didn't you come to bed?" Ainsley sat down on the chair behind Johnny and leaned forward to rest her chin on his shoulder.

"Because you'd obviously planned to get back up and had laid diagonal across the bed," Johnny turned his head so he could kiss her temple.

"Sorry," Ainsley said again.

"I'm glad you got some sleep. If you don't mind taking over feeding Hunter, our dinner is almost done. I figured we'd eat an early dinner and then I'd go to bed."

Johnny stood up and Ainsley followed suit so she could sit where he had been. Before he moved toward the oven, she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Thank you for taking such good care of Hunter and I."

"Thank you for taking care of our new little one," Johnny said, rubbing her belly.

Ainsley leaned up to kiss him. "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

"Waube you," Hunter said.

"We waube you too," Johnny and Ainsley said in unison and then both laughed.

E

Meg looked at the clock and sighed. She should have just asked Ainsley to have Johnny check on having the station participate in the assembly. Mike hadn't called her back. Probably too busy with Caroline, Meg thought.

She debated trying to call him, but was afraid Caroline would be with him. Meg let herself get angry, he was just like every other guy, she couldn't count on him. Tomorrow she'd call Ainsley and ask Johnny to see if the station could help out.

Meg took the strip of pictures out of her pocket and looked at them. She and Mike looked back at the camera in three of the pictures. In the fourth picture, they were kissing. "Thanks for nothing," she said to the picture, tossing it into the wastebasket next to her desk.

E

"You coulda called."

"I'm sorry. We were out on runs all day and all night. I was completely exhausted. I had to call the insurance company and arrange to get the truck towed and make sure the repair shop knew the truck was coming and the name of my insurance agent. By the time I got off the phone, I was too tired to even see the numbers on the phone to make another phone call."

"Meaning you forgot all about me, and just went to bed."

Mike sighed and moved the phone to his other ear. He'd love to deny the statement, but knew it was true. All he had wanted to do when he got off the phone with the mechanic was go to bed. "I didn't think the sailing was a set plan because we'd never confirmed it."

"You could've at least called me and said we couldn't see each other. I sat around waiting for you all day," Caroline was frustrated that Mike had just blown her off and hadn't even bothered to call her. It was noon on Wednesday and she had called him. He hadn't called her at all on Tuesday and she was willing to bet he hadn't slept 24 hours.

"When I got up, I had to shower and go to the mechanics to take care of paperwork to get the truck fixed. I had to do laundry, grocery shop and clean the apartment and then yes, I went back to bed. I was gonna call you tonight when you got off work."

"You could've called me here," Caroline pouted.

"I don't think about calling people at work Caroline, because it really isn't something people should be doing to me when I'm at work."

"So you're mad at me for calling you at work on Monday and this was your way of getting back at me."

Mike ran a hand through his hair. "No. I don't play those kind of games."

"Oh and I do?"

"Caroline," Mike let his frustration show in his voice. "I'm sorry. I should've called. I'm not used to being in a relationship. But, there are things about my job that make traditional expectations unlikely. I work 24 hour shifts. When we do brush fires, sometimes we can be on shift for 36 hours. It's an extremely demanding job, and when I get off sometimes I just want to do what I absolutely have to do and then crash for a full-day."

Caroline sighed. "I'm sorry too. I guess I have a lot to get used to when it comes to dating a fireman. Can you forgive me for being so pouty?"

Mike smiled. This was the Caroline he knew. "No one's perfect. I forgive you, will you forgive me?"

"No one's perfect," Caroline said back. "All is forgiven."

"How about dinner and a movie when you get off work?"

"Sounds good, I'll swing by your place after work."

"Okay, have a good day," Mike said, and then hung up the phone.

He needed to contact Meg too. Mike looked up the school's phone number and dialed quickly. He thought he might have a chance of catching her while her class was on lunch.

"Hi, is Megan Trask available; this is LA County Fireman, Mike Stoker."

"Hold on Mr. Stoker, as a matter of fact she's right here," the receptionist put his call on hold. "Meg, phone call for you. From what sounds like a very handsome fireman."

"He's just calling about the assembly, Sally. Don't get too excited, he's got a girlfriend." Meg picked up the phone. "Hello."

"Hi, Meg. I'm sorry I didn't call yesterday. We had a really busy shift on Monday and I just crashed. Captain Stanley is supposed to meet with Chief McConnike today; he'll find out if we can participate in the assembly. If he calls me tonight, I'll give you a call. Otherwise, I'll call you from the station Thursday."

"Thanks, Mike. I appreciate the phone call," Meg felt guilty for getting so mad at him last night. "I have to get going, my class will be back from lunch in a minute."

"Talk later," Mike said, quickly ending the call, understanding the need to get back to work.

Meg hung up the phone, grabbed the mail out of her teacher's mailbox and moved back toward her classroom. She felt bad for thinking Mike unreliable last night. His job was one that required more than a 40-hour work week. She wished she hadn't acted out of her anger, she frowned as she entered her classroom.


	4. Chapter 4

"So, Gage, are you gonna tell me how great your morning was on Tuesday with your hot breakfast and magically cleaned clothes," Mike asked, as he filled his cup with coffee. Johnny was already sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee.

"Try dirty dishes in the sink, stepped on a toy, and had my wife yell at me because when I got worried about her and called out her name I woke Hunter," Johnny said, yawning as he said the last words.

"That doesn't sound like Ainsley," Mike said, concern in his voice. "What's wrong?"

"Hunter's got an ear infection. She'd been up all night with him and had finally gotten him to fall asleep sitting in the rocker. It's been a rough couple days, he was up several times last night and it was all I could do to get Ainsley to let me get him."

"She knows you had to work today and we may not get a lot of sleep, if today is anything like Monday."

"But she's pregnant," Johnny said. "She needs her sleep."

Mike shrugged. "She worries about you; the same way you worry about her. It's nice. You're lucky."

Something in Mike's voice made Johnny look up at him. "Have a rough couple of days yourself?"

Roy walked into the kitchen and headed to the coffee pot.

"Caroline didn't exactly handle my being unavailable on Tuesday well," Mike said.

"She has no experience with firemen and what our schedules are like. The key isn't how she handled this first event, it's how she handles the second. If she is just as irritated or worse, move on. If she gets better, it's worth giving her some time," Roy said, walking over to the table.

"I guess. We actually had a nice night last night, the phone call earlier that day kinda bugged me though." Mike said.

"Excuse me?"

The men looked up to the delivery man who had just entered the back door.

"I'm looking for Mike Stoker?"

"I'm Stoker," Mike said.

"In here, guys," the guy said, moving out of the way as a couple other men carried in silver trays.

"What is this?" Mike asked, standing up from the table. Johnny and Roy stood as well, as Captain Stanley, Marco and Chet walked into the room to see what commotion was.

The delivery man handed Mike a card while the other men quickly set up 5 silver trays and then a large coffee carafe.

Mike ripped open the envelope and slid out the card. He read it and looked over at the delivery guy.

"Eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, French toast and coffee," the guy pointed to each tray and the carafe. "We'll pick them up this afternoon. No need for you to be here. There is syrup, butter, and silverware all included.

"What is all this?" Captain Stanley asked.

"So sorry for my behavior the other day. Hope this helps get you and your friends shift off to a better start. Be Safe, Caroline," Mike read the card out loud.

"Gotta love how she apologizes," Chet said.

"I can think of more fun ways," Johnny said with a wicked grin.

"This benefits all of us, unless you think…"

"Kelly," Captain Stanley caught off the remark of his junior linesmen.

"Just joking, Cap," Chet didn't look the least bit repentant.

Johnny gave Chet a dirty look.

"Sheesh, no sense of humor," Chet said, heading toward the food. "So can we dig in Stoker?"

"Sure, help yourself. Cap, can I use your phone? I think I should call and say thank you," Mike asked.

"Sure, Mike. Go ahead."

Mike started to move toward the office when the klaxons sounded.

"Station 51, dumpster fire, 256 Amberly Way, time out 8:11," Sam's voice came over the speaker.

"Oh man," Chet dropped his eggs back into the tray, and headed toward the engine behind Marco. Mike had stepped forward to open the bay door, Captain Stanley moved over to the podium to write down the information.

"More for us," Johnny said, reaching for a plate as the engine left the station. He piled the plate high with food and then grabbed fresh cup of coffee. "Mmmm, good coffee," he said, heading toward the table. "I hope Caroline has to apologize a lot," Johnny said, his mouth stuffed with bacon.

Roy just laughed and shook his head. He personally thought the apology was a bit over the top, but he looked at the large TV over in the dayroom, he remembered another woman going out of her way to do super nice things for the group. Ainsley had bought the station a new TV when theirs had been destroyed in one of the vandalism attacks Tim performed on the station.

Roy sat down to eat while he could. He and Johnny were still sitting at the table when the guys rolled back in.

"Quick fire," Johnny said.

"No fire," Mike said.

"What?" Roy looked up.

"Prank call, is my guess," Captain Stanley said. "256 Amberly Way, was an abandoned hardware store, there wasn't even a dumpster on the property."

"I just hope the food's still hot," Marco said, as he reached for a plate.

"Don't you think you should let Mike get a plate first, since it was his girlfriend that sent it?" Johnny asked.

"This from the guy with the stuffed belly," Chet scoffed.

"He's right, get in there, Mike," Roy said.

Mike moved forward and grabbed a plate. "I think I will, it smells great, and I just realized I didn't eat before I left this morning because I had to leave early to catch a ride with my neighbor since my truck's still in the shop."

The klaxons sounded, "Engine 51, structure fire, 983 Culver Dr. Time out, 8:35," Sam's voice again interrupted the guys chance to eat breakfast.

Mike set the plate on the counter, grabbed a piece of bacon to shove in his mouth and moved toward the engine with the other men.

Johnny and Roy exchanged looks. "Sounds like it may be another really busy shift," Roy commented. "At least for the engine."

"Roy," Johnny shook his head. "You know not to say things …"

The klaxons sounded.

"Like that," Johnny finished.

"Squad 51, possible heart attack, 487 Wildemere, time out 8:36."

Roy moved to write down the address, while Johnny consulted the map. They both quickly loaded up into the squad and headed out, the sirens going.

They had made it about ½ way to their destination before the radio in the Squad sounded.

"Squad 51, cancel, police officer on site states the location is barber shop, owner and customers report no medical emergency at their location."

Johnny looked over at Roy. He picked up the mic, "10-4, Squad 51 available."

"What do you think…" Johnny stopped talking as the mic clicked with an incoming message.

"LA, this is Engine 51, can you confirm our address, 983 Culver Drive is a vacant lot. We have no structure fire in this area."

"Standby Engine 51."

There was a short pause.

"Engine 51, confirming address is 983 Culver Drive. Caller did not leave their name. Are you canceling your call and making yourself available?"

"10-4 LA, Engine 51 available and returning to Station." Captain Stanley's voice came over the radio.

"Three false alarms in the first hour we're on shift? I don't like where this is going," Roy said, turning the Squad into a parking lot so they could turn around and head back to the station.

Johnny just looked over at him.

E

The klaxons sounded again and the men groaned. They'd had 28 alarms so far today between the squad and the engine; nineteen had been false alarms. They had crawled into bed about 25 minutes ago and the delay had been just long enough for them all to fall asleep.

"Squad 51, woman in need of medical care, no other specific information given. 285 Amber Oaks Dr. Time out 10:55 PM," the call specifics came over the speaker.

Roy wrote down the address and handed it to Johnny as he got into the Squad. Johnny consulted the map on the dashboard quickly and pointed for Roy to turn left out of the station.

"Who wants to bet that's a false alarm," Chet said, rolling over in his bed with some hope of getting a little sleep.

"No bet," Marco said, not liking the lack of specifics.

E

Roy pulled the squad up to the curb of house at 285 Amber Oaks Dr. "Well, at least there are lights on, there is a slight possibility this is a real call."

Johnny opened the door and got out of the squad, turning to open the side compartment.

"I'm so glad you're here," A woman ran out to the squad. "It's my mom, she's really sick. I need to get her to a hospital, but she's too weak to even walk to the car."

"What seems to be the problem?" Roy asked, coming around the back of the squad.

"She's running a fever of 104.3 and she can barely walk," the young woman said.

"Is she having any difficulty breathing?" Johnny asked, looking at the oxygen tank.

"No, she's breathing fine, but her joints are actually red and swollen and she has a rash."

Johnny left the oxygen tank and handed Roy the biophone and he carried in the drug box.

They followed the woman into the house and down the hallway to a back bedroom. A woman probably in her early 60's was laying in the bed. She looked like she was in a lot of pain.

"Ma'am, can you tell me what's bothering you?" Roy asked, setting down the biophone and sitting on the edge of the bed next to the woman.

"I feel miserable," the woman said softly. "I think I have the flu."

"Would you mind if I took your blood pressure," Roy asked, taking the blood pressure cup Johnny was handing to him.

"Okay."

Roy wrapped the cuff around her arm and put the ear pieces for the stethoscope into his ears. He squeezed the bulb multiple times, listening for the changings sounds. "125/82," he told Johnny.

Johnny made a note in his notebook.

"Can you put this under your tongue?" Roy held out a thermometer. The woman complied with is request. Roy held her wrist counting her pulse and watching her respirations while she was sitting with the thermometer in her mouth.

"Would you mind if I looked at your knees and ankles?" Johnny asked.

The woman nodded, as the thermometer was still in her mouth.

Johnny raised the leg of her pant leg, her ankles and knees were swollen to about twice the normal size and looked very red.

"If you touch her ankles and knees, they are really warm to the touch," the young woman said.

"104.6, pulse is 85, respiration is 46," Roy said.

Johnny noted the vitals and picked up the biophone. "Rampart, this is Squad 51."

"Go ahead 51," Dr. Estrada said.

"Rampart, we have a woman in her early 60s complaining of joint pain, rash and fever. She has a temp of 104.6, pulse is 85, respiration is 46. Ankles and knees are red, swollen and warm to the touch. Her fingers are inflamed. Patient also has two distinct rashes on her extremities, one is large, red hives, the other is small red petechiae," Johnny relayed the information over the biophone.

"Does your throat hurt?" Roy asked.

"No, not at all."

"Is your voice always this raspy?" Roy asked.

"My voice isn't raspy," the woman said.

The young woman nodded, "Yeah, mom, it is. And no, it's not normally like this," she said looking over at Roy.

"51, is the patient complaining of any difficulty breathing or swallowing?"

"Negative, Rampart. However, patient has been consistently clearing her throat and her voice is raspy."

"51, is there any tenderness in the abdomen?" Dr. Estrada asked.

"I'm just gonna press on your stomach," Roy said, before moving his hands to her abdomen and lightly pressing down. He then reached up to feel around her neck. "No tenderness or rebounding, and no swollen glands," Roy told Johnny.

"Negative, Rampart. No tenderness or rebounding and patient does not have any palpable glands."

"51, is the patient able to walk?"

"Negative, Rampart, that is why we were called out."

"51, transport as soon as the ambulance arrives. Start an IV of saline solution TKO."

"10-4 Rampart, starting an IV of saline solution TKO and will transport the patient as soon as possible," Johnny hung up the biophone; while Roy withdrew the necessary supplies to start an IV.

The ambulance arrived a few minutes later. "Would you like to ride with her?" Roy asked the daughter.

"No, I'll drive my car so I have a way to get home. She's safe, right?"

"Yes, she's gonna be fine," Roy assured her.

Johnny came back in the room with the two ambulance attendants. They quickly loaded the woman up and moved her toward the ambulance. Roy climbed in with her. Johnny loaded the equipment back into the squad and followed not far behind the ambulance.

E

Roy was waiting for Johnny when he walked into Rampart.

"How's the patient?"

"They're running some tests. I think Dr. Estrada is viewing it as a medical mystery. He says it doesn't really fit the flu, but they'll runs some tests. He also said it doesn't fit with a rheumatological disease because it came on suddenly. He's ordered a bunch of blood work and is contemplating a spinal tap," Roy explained moving toward the squad.

"Well, I'm sorry she's sick," Johnny said, "but I'm glad it was an actual call and not another false alarm. "

"I have to admit I agree with you. What have we had, 10 false alarms today?"

"Just for the squad; I think the engine has had even more than that," Johnny said, getting into the squad and reaching for his seatbelt.

Roy started the engine and pulled out heading toward the station. Johnny leaned forward, keying the mic, "LA, Squad 51 available."

Roy backed the squad into the station, noting that the engine was out again.

"I wonder…,"

"LA, Engine 51, cancel the call for a gas leak at this location. It is a false alarm."

"Guess that answers that question," Johnny said, of his unspoken question.

"Cap has passed mad and just sounds defeated," Roy observed.

"He's probably exhausted," Johnny said. "I don't think the engine has been here long enough for anyone to have a full cup of coffee. And they didn't get any of that fabulous food."

Roy shook his head and moved toward the dorm room. He was hoping that he could at least get a little bit of sleep before the next call. He had just settled into the bed when he heard the engine pull back into the bay. The other guys shuffled in without speaking, quickly stripped down to their boxers and t-shirts and climbed into bed.

Mike lay in his bunk, looking at the ceiling. He was just waiting for the alarms to sound sending them on another wild goose chase. Eventually, he heard the soft rhythmic breathing of his friends, but sleep alluded him. He continued to wait for the tones to ring.

At some point Mike finally fell asleep, but it seemed only a matter of minutes before the wake up tones sounded.

"No more calls," Captain Stanley noted.

"The prankster probably went to bed," Chet sarcastically observed.

"Let's hope it was just teenagers getting their kicks before school starts next week," Roy said, as the gang moved into the kitchen for much needed coffee.

"Maybe, but that's what I'm here to find out."

"Kate," Johnny said, surprised to see his ex-girlfriend.

"We got a report today that said Station 51 had been the recipient of multiple false alarm calls. The Fire Department asked us to look into it. As I am sure you all know, these calls had other stations needing to respond to calls that would have normally gone to you; which caused longer response times."

"Someone died," Roy said, more as a statement than as a question.

Kate nodded. "A man died from a heart attack and there is some concern it may have been avoidable if there hadn't been an additional 10-minute delay because 29 had to respond because you guys were on what turned out to be a false alarm. The police will be investigating to find out who is responsible for these calls. When a potential connection was made between the false alarms and a report Mike filed about vandalism to his truck, I asked for the case. I've worked with the station previously on an attack against all of you. I'm concerned someone is targeting you again," Kate explained.

"Why don't you sit down Kate and we can give you all the details we can before we get another call," Captain Stanley said.

Kate joined them at the table, Johnny poured her a cup of coffee and carried it over to her before taking a seat. Kate lifted the cup to her mouth, taking a small sip of the hot liquid.

"Kate, did you get married?" Chet asked, noticing the diamond ring on her left hand.

Kate smiled. "Not yet, but I am in a couple of months."

The men said a round of congratulations.

"Who's the lucky guy," Johnny asked.

"Eric, my former partner," Kate said, with a shy smile.

"Former partner?"

"Eric was promoted to a Lieutenant position in homicide," Kate explained. The klaxons sounded calling out the engine. "Mike, can I call you later?" Kate called out.

"Try for late afternoon," Mike said, climbing into the engine.

Kate looked over at Johnny and Roy, "I've got all the information on the calls, but do either of you have any thoughts?" Kate asked, still sitting at the table.

Both Johnny and Roy shook their head. "Mike will tell you about the vandalism, but our understanding is he crossed some underage kids when he took their beer," Roy explained.

"Nothing about the locations struck a chord, you didn't see a person in the vicinity at more than one call?"

"No," Johnny said, looking over at Roy.

"Me neither," Roy confirmed.

"Okay," Kate sighed. "I'll talk to Mike later today and interview the boys."

"Any initial thoughts?" Roy asked.

"Not yet, but I just started investigating."

"I'll walk you out," Johnny volunteered, as Kate stood up.

"Congratulations, Kate. I'm really happy for you," Johnny said, really meaning it. Kate was a really great person, and he felt bad the way things had ended with them, but he had been in love with Ainsley before he had even met Kate, he just hadn't realized it at the time.

"Thanks. How's Ainsley?"

"About to deliver our second child," Johnny said proudly.

"Well, congratulations to you," Kate said, with a smile and a nod of her head.

"Thanks. Ainsley is definitely ready for this pregnancy to be over. It's been harder on her than with Hunter."

"Well, I hope everything goes well for her," Kate said, getting into her car.

E

Johnny rubbed his eyes as he put the Rover in park. He was glad to be home. He rubbed Chief's head and headed into the kitchen. Ainsley was at the stove, but Hunter wasn't at the table.

"Where's Hunter?"

"Believe it or not, still sleeping," Ainsley said with a smile. "I think he's catching up from the last couple nights." Ainsley leaned forward to kiss him as he approached.

"Guess who I saw this morning?"

"Who?"

"Kate."

"Kate, as in Detective Kate Stryker? As in the woman who thought I was behind all the terror Station 51 went through a year and a half ago? As in your ex-girlfriend? That Kate?"

"Yeah," Johnny said, a little confused at the anger suddenly in Ainsley's voice.

"And you just causally mention to me that you saw the woman that had me questioned for setting a bomb? That Kate?"

"Kate, who shot Tim and saved your life, that Kate," Johnny said. He closed his eyes briefly, he already had a slight headache and this was just going to make it worse.

"So you're spending time with your beautiful, thin, ex-girlfriend, while your whale of a wife is home taking care of your sick son," Ainsley pouted. She knew she was being ridiculous, but she could feel herself getting so angry and she couldn't seem to stop it.

Ainsley turned to face the skillet, and flipped the pancakes.

"You're pregnant, Ainsley," Johnny mumbled, half asleep.

"So you admit I'm fat," she said, turning around and staring at the back of Johnny's head. He had rested his head in his hands and actually was starting to doze off, he didn't even hear her.

When he said nothing, Ainsley felt her blood start to boil, thinking that meant he agreed she was fat.

She threw the spatula across the kitchen, the bang of it hitting the wall caused Johnny to jump. "What the…"

"I can't believe you would say something like that to me," Ainsley threw the dish towel from her shoulder down on the counter and stormed out of the room.

"Ainsley," Johnny moved to follow her down the hall, but turned back into the kitchen. He removed the pancakes from the skillet and turned it off before turning back to go find his wife. She was laying on her side on their bed, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Ainsley?" Johnny tentatively approached her.

"Get out," Ainsley whispered.

"No, not until you tell me what is going on with you," Johnny said.

Ainsley was quite.

Johnny sat down on the edge of the bed and Ainsley just started to cry harder.

"Sweetheart, why don't you go out today. Go down and get Joanne, go shopping, something fun," Johnny suggested not sure how to deal with her.

"Really?" Ainsley said, wiping at her eyes.

"Yeah, I think maybe you just need to get out of the house for a little bit."

"Thanks," Ainsley said, liking the idea of getting out.

E

Ainsley knocked and let herself into the DeSoto home. "Jo," she called out.

"In here," Joanne called from the kitchen.

"Hey, you want to go out and do some shopping?" Ainsley asked, walking into the kitchen.

Joanne turned to look at her and knew she'd been crying.

"Roy's beat with all those false alarms. I've got to let him get some sleep."

"What false alarms?"

"The Station had 22 false alarms yesterday. They think it might be related to some teenagers who may have also vandalized Mike's truck. The police are investigating. I thought that was why you'd been crying."

Ainsley sat down and sighed. "No, Johnny never got past telling me he saw Kate."

"That's how he started the conversation," Joanne rolled her eyes.

"Oh, Joanne, I was horrible," Ainsley said. "I got super angry and threw a spatula and then went to our room and cried my eyes out. I've got to get home, Johnny's got to be exhausted."

"Why don't I go get Hunter. The kids will love playing with him and they won't get a lot more days to hang at the park with him before school starts," Joanne stood up and walked over to her purse. "I had intended to give you this next week, but you should try to use it today." Joanne handed her a gift certificate for a nearby salon. "Go get a massage, facial, manicure and pedicure."

"Are you sure?" Ainsley felt bad taking advantage of Joanne's kindness.

"I'm sure, you look like you need it."

"What is wrong with me? I feel like I'm going crazy; today was just so insane and I knew I was behaving like an idiot and I couldn't stop myself."

"Pregnancy hormones are tough," Joanne said.

"It wasn't like this with Hunter," Ainsley said.

"Every pregnancy is different. Go, relax, enjoy," Joanne encouraged her.

As soon as Ainsley left her house, Joanne headed down to their house. She let herself intthe back door. Johnny was sitting at the kitchen table, feeding Hunter pancakes.

Johnny turned as Joanne entered.

"I'm gonna take him home with me, Johnny. Get some sleep," Joanne said. She walked over to Hunter and unbuckled him from is booster seat. She picked up a pancake and handed it to the little boy. Hunter took a bite.

"Where's Ainsley?"

"On her way to the spa for a day of pampering."

"Joanne…" Johnny looked at her, unsure of how to word his question.

"Less than a month," Joanne gave him a smile. "I was worse with Jenny, just ask Roy."

Johnny watched Joanne walk out the door with Hunter. He made his way back to his bedroom, stripped off his clothes, leaving them lying by the bed, and slipped under the covers. He was asleep in a matter of seconds.

E

Ainsley quietly walked into the bedroom. Joanne had told her to just come by and get Hunter after dinner so she and Johnny could have some time alone. Ainsley looked down at the clothes on the floor, but didn't get upset, she knew Johnny had to have been so exhausted, but he had been willing to stay up and watch their son so she could get out.

Ainsley slipped out of her sundress and hung it in her closet. She stripped off the rest of her clothes and slid into bed with her husband. Johnny made a small sound, but otherwise didn't move. Ainsley snuggled up against him, she felt his arm go around her, and pull her closer, but he seemed to do it in his sleep.

She rested her hand on his chest and slowly began to run hand across his chest and down his abdomen.

Johnny sighed, opened his eyes and gave her a small smile.

"Hi," Ainsley whispered.

"Hey," Johnny's voice was husky from sleep.

Ainsley let her hand continue to slowly stroke down her husband's chiseled body. Johnny groaned with pleasure as she stroked him. She smiled as she felt him harden at her touch. Ainsley maneuvered awkwardly so she could straddle her husband. Johnny smiled as she joined their bodies. He placed his hands on her hips and enjoyed looking into her eyes as they made love.

Ainsley lay wrapped in his arms after, again gently stroking his chest. "I'm so sorry for earlier," Ainsley said. "I don't know what came over me. Joanne told me about all the false alarms and the vandalism to Mike's truck. Everyone okay?"

"Yeah, except for 6 really tired guys and Mike's poor truck," Johnny said, turning to kiss her temple.

"Does Kate have any ideas?"

Johnny hesitated.

"It's okay, I'm human again right now," Ainsley joked.

"Not yet, but she'll investigate the teenagers."

"How is she doing?"

"Engaged to be married," Johnny said.

"Really?"

"To her former partner, Eric."

Ainsley smiled. "Good for her."

"Feel better?" Johnny asked.

Ainsley sighed, "Kate was never my issue. I'm sorry, Johnny. I don't know what came over me. I suddenly thought about how beautiful Kate is and how huge and frumpy I look right now. I just felt overwhelmed.

Johnny rolled over onto his side and slid his hand over her belly. "You're gorgeous. I love the way you look. You radiate, and I get totally turned on thinking about how you're carrying my baby." Johnny let his hand continue sliding up her body, caressing her breasts. "You're so sexy I can barely keep myself from trying to get you into bed multiple times a day. And if you don't believe me, I can prove it," Johnny leaned forward, catching her mouth in a kiss.

Ainsley let herself melt into the kiss. "I love you so much, my husband," she said when he finally pulled back.

"I love you my wife," Johnny said, pulling her toward him for round two.


	5. Chapter 5

Kate smiled as Mike opened the door, "Did I wait long enough?"

Mike covered a yawn. "I'm up, showered, and just about to eat some breakfast. C'mon in." Mike stepped back so Kate could enter.

"It's 5:00 PM," Kate said, raising and eyebrow and double-checking her watch.

"I've been up a half-hour; it's breakfast for me," Mike said, yawning again. "Want some eggs and toast?"

Kate laughed, "No, thanks." Kate looked around the small, neat apartment. Not a lot of pictures or knickknacks, but lots of sporting apparel. Do you mind answering a few questions while you eat?"

"Shoot," Mike said. "Not literally." Mike laughed, as he held up his hands.

"I think you're safe," Kate said with a smile. She pulled out a small notepad and sat down at the table.

"The first episode of vandalism to your truck was discovered by you on Sunday morning?" Kate read the quick notes she had written from the initial report.

"Yes."

"When was the last time you were in your truck prior to Sunday morning?"

"I was over at Captain Stanley's with Johnny and Roy and we were working on siding the garage Saturday afternoon and evening."

"What happened earlier that day, any issues?"

"No, why?"

"I've read the report, Mike. I know about the teenagers, and I have every intention of talking to them. But, before we focus on the obvious answer, I want to make sure there aren't any other things I should be aware of."

"I'd been out with Caroline earlier in the day, we'd ran into Johnny and Ainsley down at the Pier…,"

"Who's Caroline?" Kate interrupted his story.

"The woman I'm dating."

"How long have you been dating?"

"A few weeks," Mike said.

"Going well?"

Mike smiled, but also gave a shrug, "Most of the time."

"How was it going on Saturday?" Kate asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Good, she was a little disappointed that I had to end our date early to help at Cap's house, but she seemed good with it."

"What's her last name?"

"Chaplin."

Kate made a note. "Are you exclusive?"

"What?"

"Are you dating anyone else?"

"No, I'm not dating anyone else," Mike said, bringing over his plate of eggs and toast. "Although…"

"Although, what?"

"I was dating another woman Meg back in May. She had to leave to go take care of her dad, she didn't want me to wait around for her. I met Caroline a few weeks before Meg got back. She seemed a bit disappointed," Mike frowned, thinking about that first conversation with Meg. She'd tried to sound happy for him, but he could tell she was disappointed. He'd felt bad.

"Do you still see or talk to Meg recently?"

"Yes, Caroline and I ran into her on the beach on the other night and she'd asked me to help arrange for the fire department to do an assembly for the elementary school. She's an elementary school teacher."

"What's her last name?"

"Megan Trask."

Kate made a few notes in her notebook. "I'm going to talk to the teenagers, but it is possible I am going to talk to Caroline and Megan too. I just want you to be aware in case either of them says anything to you."

"Neither Caroline or Meg would do something like that," Mike insisted, his voice dismissive of the mere thought.

"There is one other incident I want to discuss with you," Kate said, her voice holding a slight warning that he was not going to like what she was about to say.

"What?" Mike said cautiously.

"Do you remember a man named Kevin Costas?"

Mike dropped his piece of toast onto the plate.

"I'll take that as a yes," Kate said, looking into Mike's blue eyes that had narrowed at the mention of the name.

"He's serving prison time for arson," Mike said.

"He was serving prison time for arson," Kate said.

"No way he's out already. He was sentenced to 12 years for aggravated arson," Mike said. "That was only 6 years ago."

"Prisons are overcrowded. He was granted parole 3 months ago," Kate said.

"Unbelievable," Mike got up from the table, grabbing his plate and tossing what was left of his breakfast into the trash. "I just lost my appetite."

"Sorry to ruin your breakfast, Mike; but you know why I have to bring him up," Kate said, watching Mike pace in his kitchen.

"Because I was the key expert witness at his trial. Lotta good that did," Mike growled.

"I don't have to tell you that he certainly has a motive to make your life difficult."

"Keying my car and slashing my tires are a little small for what I would expect from him. Kevin had a mean streak and he was furious that I'd figured out he was the arsonist. He threatened me in open court. But, his words weren't I'm gonna trash your truck."

"I believe the exact words were," Kate looked briefly at her notebook. "I'm gonna slit your throat, pour gasoline down the hole and light you up like a dried up Christmas tree."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Mike said, sitting down. "How'd they let a guy like that outta prison?"

"He told the parole board that he'd learned from his mistakes, he's been getting therapy and says that he is now grateful that you stopped him, so he can be a productive member of society," Kate read the comment.

"And the parole board bought that crap," Mike rolled his eyes.

"Apparently."

"Where is he now?"

"He's in a half-way house not too far from here. His parole officer says he's been a model parolee since his release," Kate explained.

"Sure, and leopard's routinely change their spots."

"Needless to say, I'll be looking at him too."

Mike sighed. "Look, I'd like nothing more than to have a reason to send Costas back to prison; but..,"

"The teenagers are my more likely suspects for a keying and tire slashing incident," Kate finished his thought.

"Don't forget prank calls," Mike agreed with another yawn.

"Okay, I think I've got everything I need for now, Mike. I'm actually going to head upstairs now and talk to Adam and his parents, get the names of the other boys and follow-up with them tonight. I'll do a bit more research and be in touch with you in the next couple of days," Kate stood up.

"Thanks, Kate. I'm sorry we have to work together again; but I'm glad you pulled the case," Mike said, opening his apartment door for her.

Caroline's hand stopped mid-air as she went to knock on Mike's door just as he opened it.

She looked at Mike standing there in his jeans and t-shirt, hair still slightly tousled and then turned to look at Caroline's petite figure, olive complexion and shiny black hair. "Am I interrupting something?" Caroline asked, a slight edge to her voice.

"You must be Caroline," Kate said. "Detective Kate Stryker," Kate extended her hand.

Caroline hesitated, but then reached forward to shake her hand. "How do you know my name?"

"I was asking Mike questions about his weekend and he told me he was dating you," Kate said, simplifying the conversation.

Caroline smiled at Mike. "Almost a month now."

"Mike, thanks for talking to me. I'll call if I have any additional questions. It was nice to meet you Caroline," Kate said, moving past the red-headed woman to get out of the apartment.

"Thanks, Kate."

Caroline walked into the apartment and Mike closed the door behind her. "Hi," Caroline said, sliding up to him to and slipping her arms around his waist, tilting her head for a kiss.

"Good morning," Mike said with a smile, enjoying the kiss.

"Uh-oh, good morning, was it a rough night last night?"

"The last 24-hours have been a blur of problems, but we don't need to get in to that," Mike said, wanting to protect her from the realities of his job.

"Did you enjoy breakfast?" Caroline asked.

"Oh, gosh, Caroline, I'm so sorry," Mike gasped, realizing he'd never gotten to call her. "I meant to call, I was on my way to the phone when we got a run. I'm so sorry."

Caroline smiled. "It's okay. I'm sure you were busy, but not too busy to eat it, I hope."

Mike didn't have the heart to tell her by the time the engine had gotten back to the station the food had been picked up by the company that had brought it. The only crew members that had gotten to eat any at all had been Johnny and Roy; but he didn't want to lie to her either. "Johnny and Roy made real pigs of themselves," Mike said instead. "I think you've earned a spot of honor at the station."

Caroline's smile widened. "Good, I want your friends to like me."

Caroline slowly slid her hands under Mike's t-shirt running her hands across his warm abdomen. "You still look pretty tired. Whatdya say we just stay here tonight. We'll turn on a movie, and I can rub your back, maybe give you a foot rub."

It was Mike's turn to widen his smile. "That sounds amazing. Are you sure you don't mind?"

"I like the idea of spoiling you," Caroline said, sliding her hands to his sides and lifting the t-shirt over his head. She enjoyed looking at his firm torso. "Do you have any lotion or anything I can use?"

Mike shook his head, "Probably not."

"Mind if I check your bathroom?"

"Not at all," Mike said.

"Sit down on the couch and I'll be right back," Caroline said. She moved through Mike's apartment and into his bathroom. She opened his medicine cabinet and quickly scanned the items. Razor, shaving cream, q-tips, band-aids, toothbrush, tooth paste, dental floss, and a bottle of aspirin.

Caroline opened the drawer to the vanity, Mike had extra toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss. He had hydrogen peroxide, more first aid type items, but nothing that could be used for a massage. She looked under the sink, towels and mouthwash, but nothing else.

Caroline made her way back into the living room. "No such luck," Caroline said. "I think I can still do a decent job without it though," Caroline sat down next to Mike. "Why don't you lay down and I'll start with your back."

Mike obediently laid down on his stomach and sighed as Caroline started to rub his sore muscles. Mike closed his eyes as she concentrated on working the muscles of his neck and shoulders. Caroline spent several minutes working Mike's muscles until she heard him snoring slightly. She smiled, leaned forward, and gently kissed the back of his shoulder. She continued kissing along his shoulder and then started kissing his neck. When she started nibbling his ear, Mike rolled over so he could pull her into a proper kiss. When she eagerly responded, he deepened the kiss and pulled her to lay down on top of him. He enjoyed several minutes making out with her before he pulled away.

"Mmm, don't stop," Caroline purred, moving to kiss him again. Mike let himself get drawn into the kiss for another minute, but stopped when he felt himself getting really turned on. He didn't think it was a good idea to take that next step with Caroline just yet.

"I only had a little bit of food for breakfast. Whatdya say I take you out for dinner and we catch a movie at the theater?" Mike said, easing Caroline back a little.

Caroline frowned, "Where you not enjoying yourself?"

Mike smiled at her and leaned forward to give her another quick kiss. "Too much," he whispered to her.

Caroline let her fingers brush along his collarbone and then slide up around his neck and weave into his hair. "That's not a bad thing," she whispered.

"Another time," Mike said.

Caroline frowned and got off the couch. "What did you have in mind for dinner?" Caroline said, moving away from Mike. She was surprised he didn't want to get more physical; and a little hurt, but she didn't want to get into that conversation.

Mike could tell she was hurt. He grabbed her hand. "It's nothing about you," Mike assured her. "You're gorgeous, and very sexy, and I would like very much to take this back to my bedroom. But, I want more from us than that."

Caroline smiled and kissed him deeply. "Thank you, that means so much to me," she said as she pulled away.

"Forget what I said, let's go," Mike grabbed her hand and began moving toward his bedroom.

Caroline laughed, "Oh no, you've got me thinking about food now; we're going to dinner."

Mike laughed, knowing he'd only been teasing her.

E

"So, how many prank calls you think we're gonna get today?" Chet asked, walking into the locker room a couple days later.

"Chet don't start," Mike warned.

"What? It's a legitimate question?" Chet looked wounded at being shut down so quickly.

"Look, I feel bad enough that because I took beer from a couple of kids we got so many prank calls last shift and someone died because of it. I wish I could go back and just let those stupid kids have the beer," Mike groused.

"Someone's in a mood," Johnny commented.

"Shut up, Gage," Mike slammed his locker door shut and walked out of the locker room. He moved to the back bay door and out into the parking lot. He picked up the basketball and slammed it into the ground, slamming it back into the ground again when it bounced back up.

Roy joined him a few minutes later. "Rough couple days off?"

"No," Mike snapped.

"I can tell," Roy moved over to the picnic table and sat down.

Mike bounced the ball hard a few more times. He finally moved over to sit down next to Roy. "The first day off was fine. I slept till 5, Kate came over and we went over everything, Caroline and I had a great night," Mike ran his hands through his hair and clenched them behind his neck. "But, Kate told me something, that's just continued to gnaw at me."

Roy just waited.

"A guy I helped put away for aggravated arson got out of prison three months ago. I can't imagine he'd be behind damage to my truck and prank phone calls, but…costing a guy his life, that's right up this guy's alley."

"It's not your fault, Mike."

Mike just looked over at him.

"The same way, Johnny and I aren't at fault when we can't save the heart attack victim, when we don't get to the victims in time. You can't own this," Roy looked him in the eye. "You need to get your perspective."

Mike sighed.

"Tell me how things went with Caroline."

"Good, great really. She showed up when Kate was there, which I thought was gonna get me in trouble, but she handled it just fine. It was actually a really nice afternoon and evening. Then, yesterday, we took a friend's boat out. She looks good in a bikini."

Roy laughed. "I can't wait to meet her. Johnny says she's a real looker."

"She is really beautiful," Mike said wistfully.

Roy narrowed his eyes, looking over at Mike, "But?"

Mike looked back over at him. "No but."

Roy looked at him for a few seconds and went to say something else, but was stopped by the klaxons sounding calling the station out for a multi-vehicle accident.

The men quickly moved to their appropriate places, Mike pulled the engine out of the bay and on to the street with Roy following closely behind.

E

Roy quietly moved into the Captain's office, the guys were keeping Mike occupied with a debate on who was going to win the upcoming Dune Buggy race. Mike participated every year and Roy knew the guys could keep him occupied if Chet came out and said the newest contender was going to be the winner; Mike really disliked the guys style of driving.

Roy picked up the phone, glanced at the piece of paper he pulled out of his pocket and dialed the number. "Detective Kate Stryker, please."

Roy waited a few seconds while his call was placed on hold.

"Detective Stryker."

"Kate, it's Roy, I wanted to talk to you about Mike and this guy who was let out of prison."

"Kevin Costas."

"Is he dangerous? How concerned do we need to be about Mike."

"I don't think Mike's issues are because of Kevin, Roy. I spoke to Adam's more aggressive friend, Ronnie. He admitted to keying Mike's truck. He's denying slashing the tires and the prank calls and says he only keyed the door and not the full length of the truck, but he may realize those are more serious offensive and doesn't want to admit to those. I was just on my way out to come see you guys so I could tell Mike in person."

Roy sighed and felt himself relax. He hadn't realized he was so on edge about all of this.

"That's great news, Kate. Still come by, pick up a cake on the way and I'll reimburse you. We'll really celebrate," Roy said, feeling his smile widen.

"Sounds like a plan, I'll see you guys soon."

E

The guys were still telling stories that had Kate laughing so hard her stomach ached. Marco had made his famous chili, she'd brought the cake and the evening had turned into a celebration as the group accepted a stupid teenage act of aggression had been the cause of all this damage.

The klaxons sounded, "Engine 51, dumpster fire at 457 Langley Ave, cross street Sepulveda Blvd. Time out 19:24."

The engine crew moved toward the engine. Johnny and Roy moved to start washing the dishes. Kate helped carry the dishes to the counter and then refilled her coffee cup. "Johnny, I hadn't realized what an accident waiting to happen you were when we were dating."

"I'm not nearly as bad as those guys tried to make it sound with those stories,' Johnny protested.

"Yes, you are," Roy laughed.

Kate chatted with the guys for about 25 minutes until the Engine pulled back into the station. "I'm not going to take a lot more of your time, but I wanted to let you know if any of you experiences anything out of the ordinary, you should call me. Technically this case isn't closed yet because Ronnie only admitted to keying part of the truck, and I need to look for proof that he orchestrated the other damages and prank calls; so don't just call the station, ask for me and tell them it's regarding an on-going case," Kate explained.

She was about to say her good-byes, when the klaxons sounded again, calling the engine crew out for another dumpster fire. As the engine crewed pulled out, Kate looked at Johnny and Roy. "I don't care how late it is, if this keeps up, you call me." They agreed and Kate left for the evening, a knot in her stomach. Maybe she'd look a little closer at Kevin Costas, just to make sure Ronnie was actually the person causing Mike issues.

When they guys got back some looks were exchanged and there was a new tension in the air. Two dumpster fires in a row were not common, but by themselves they weren't cause for worry. When you added in everything that had gone on in the past few days though, everyone was thinking the same thing; this was how Tim had started his reign of terror on the station.

When no other calls had come in, the men relaxed and retired to bed a little after 10:00 PM, hoping to get some sleep before they were called out again. Unfortunately for Captain Stanley, Mike, Marco and Chet that sleep lasted only a few minutes because at 10:25 PM, they were called out for another dumpster fire.

Johnny and Roy both laid awake waiting for the engine crew to return. When they did, about 25 minutes later, no one spoke as they stripped off their gear and climbed into bed. Roy waited to hear the slow, rhythmic breathing of the men as they drifted to sleep, but the sound did not come. He knew everyone was waiting to see if the klaxons sounded again. They didn't have to wait long, at 11:30 PM, the klaxons sounded again, the voice over the speaker calling the men out to a dumpster fire.

When the men returned, Johnny and Roy were sitting at the kitchen table. "I called the police station, they alerted Kate," Roy said, as Captain Stanley entered the room. "They're going to dispatch an officer for any more dumpster fires."

"It was the second night when we got the pipe bomb," Marco said, touching the faint scar that remained on his neck from the metal that had lodged there two years ago when Tim had planted a pipe bomb the second night of hourly dumpster fire calls.

"How would someone even know about that?" Chet asked.

"Oh, c'mon, don't you remember the articles in the papers after Tim was killed. They reported in detail about the dumpster fires, the daycare, Mike's apartment," Johnny reminded him.

"This couldn't be that teenage kid could it?" Captain Stanley asked, looking over at Mike.

Mike simply shrugged as the klaxons sounded again for yet another dumpster fire.


	6. Chapter 6

The squad car pulled behind the engine as it rounded the corner and headed toward the dumpster fire. As Mike stopped the engine, Captain Stanley opened his door and dropped to the ground. Mike exited opposite him and Marco and Chet were only a half-step behind.

"Chet, pull an inch and a half," Captain Stanley ordered.

"Delay that order," the police officer said, stepping out of patrol car and moving to the back of his vehicle. "There's a K-9 unit on the way."

"For what?" Chet asked.

"With a bomb sniffing dog," the officer answered.

"So we're just supposed to stand here and let the fire burn?" Marco asked.

"Actually, you're supposed to stand behind the engine, so it protects you from the potential hazard," the officer clarified, indicating the men should move back.

No one moved, they all looked at Captain Stanley. Captain Stanley looked at the burning dumpster and back at his men, his eyes focusing on the faint scars carried by Marco and Chet from the pipe bomb Tim had planted.

"Chet, still pull the line, but you and Marco move behind the engine and focus on the side of the dumpster nearest the building to make sure the fire doesn't jump to the building," Captain Stanley ordered.

Mike moved to the instruments on the side of the engine, while Chet and Marco obeyed Captain Stanley's order.

The police officer radioed that the fire department was on scene and they were waiting the arrival of the K-9 unit. It was only a few minutes later before a second patrol car arrived on scene with K-9 marked on the doors in big, reflective letters.

A second officer stepped out and moved to the back door of the car, opening the door and allowing a black and tan German Shepherd to jump out of the vehicle and move to stand by his side. The dog ignored all the other men, the flashing lights and the burning fire and merely stood calmly near his partner, waiting for his task to be ordered.

"Search, Falco," the officer commanded.

The dog immediately started sniffing the ground, moving toward the engine. The dog sniffed the engine and around the firemen and then continued toward the trash container. Falco continued to sniff around the dumpster, avoiding getting too close to the jumping embers. After a few minutes, the dog bored of the dumpster and moved to sniff the surrounding grassy area, never once alerting to a problem.

"Cease, Falco," the officer commanded. The dog quickly returned to the side of the police officer and sat down next to him. "You can go ahead and put out the fire; there's no bomb," the officer advised.

Captain Stanley nodded to Marco and Chet and they moved forward and doused the fire with the high pressure water.

"Is this going to happen at every fire now?" Captain Stanley asked the officer.

"Every dumpster fire," the officer confirmed.

Captain Stanley slapped his hand against the engine. He blew out a deep breath.

"After last time, Detective Stryker feels it's vitally important that all precautions are taken," the detective told him.

"Yeah," was all Captain Stanley said. He watched as Chet and Marco moved to use pokers to move around the trash and make sure there were not any hot spots. This was gonna be a very long shift.

E

The men disembarked the engine and moved toward their respective bunks. Roy and Johnny were out on a call, so the men slipped out of their bunkers and got into bed. It was about 40 minutes before the klaxons sounded again with another dumpster fire. The men moved to take their places on the engine.

"That's only about 5 blocks from here," Johnny said, hearing the call over the radio, as he shut the door to the squad, and reached for his seatbelt.

"Let's go check on them," Roy said, reading his partners mind. Roy put the squad in gear and headed out of Rampart's parking lot.

Roy pulled up to see the Engine parked and a line pulled, but the men standing behind the engine. A police officer was opening the back door of a squad car to let out the dog. "Search Falco," the officer ordered.

The dog moved toward the burning dumpster. Johnny and Roy exited the squad and began to move toward the other men of Station 51. Everyone was quiet, the only sounds the crackling of the fire in the dumpster.

"Woof, woof, woof," all the men flinched as the dog's vicious bark suddenly broke the quiet. "Woof, woof, woof." The dog continued to bark at the dumpster.

"Get behind the engine," the officer ordered. "Falco, retreat," the officer moved back behind the engine with the fire fighters, the dog quickly joining him.

"Stay," the officer ordered the dog and then moved to his squad car to radio in for the bomb squad to be dispatched. "LA, this is…."

He never got to enter his request, a loud bang reverberated through the air, the dog gave a whimper and suddenly the area was filled with the sound of metal hitting metal as fragments from the bomb rained down on the engine, squad and police car. The officer ducked into his car, Johnny and Mike leaned toward each other shielding the dog with their bodies that were protected by their coats and helmets. When the noise subsided and they were able to lead back, they were rewarded with a few quick wet kisses from Falco.

"Anyone hurt," Roy called out, taking a quick look at all the men around him. The windshield of the police cruiser was broken, the vehicles had several new dents, but Roy didn't see any blood.

"I'm good," Chet said.

"Fine," Marco replied.

The police officer nodded at Captain Stanley's look, "I'm fine."

Johnny looked over at Mike, "Mike?"

Everyone turned to look at Mike at the tone in Johnny's voice. He was staring at the dumpster, the men turned to look, the dumpster had literally been ripped apart from the inside. Green jagged twisted metal stood bathed in the red light from the engine. Garbage spilled out on the ground, pouring out of bags ripped to shreds by metal fragments. A metal tube lay a few feet in front of the dumpster, a whole blown out the side, and metal fragments still laying inside of it. Mike's face was furious.

"Mike," Captain Stanley called to his Engineer. When Mike didn't respond, Captain Stanley moved to stand directly in front of him. "Mike."

Mike moved his eyes from the damage to his Captain.

"Don't let this get to you," Captain Stanley said.

"How am I supposed to do that?" Mike asked. "This is worse than the bomb Tim planted. This would not have been some minor injuries," Mike fumed. "This is a deliberate, vicious attack against all of you because of me."

"This is not your fault. It's whosever is doing this."

"He's doing it because of me."

Mike moved to the start the dials, so Marco and Chet could spray down the debris and the remaining flames. No one spoke as Station 51 cleaned up the scene. Captain Stanley kept glancing at his Engineer. He was worried about what he saw in Mike's eyes. He was more than mad, he looked like he could really hurt someone.

Kate arrived shortly behind the bomb squad. She spent time speaking with the police officers, spoke to Captain Stanley, Chet, Marco, Johnny and Roy. She spoke to the bomb squad lead next, leaving Mike for last.

"Rough day," Kate said, moving to stand next to the engine and look up at Mike. Mike sat behind the wheel, just staring ahead.

"Let's not do this, Kate."

"I need to take your statement," Kate said gently.

"I don't have anything to say you haven't heard from any of the other guys," Mike said quietly.

"Anything about this scene remind you of the scenes from the fires caused by Kevin Costas?"

Mike shook his head. "Kevin never did bombs. He liked fires, big ones. Ones that targeted areas where he had bad memories, or that housed people he didn't like. If he was gonna go after me and make it a reminder of Tim, he shoulda burned down my apartment. That woulda reminded me of his work," Mike rubbed his forehead, he was definitely getting a migraine.

Kate used the side step of the engine to pull herself up to face Mike. "This is not your fault."

"You keep saying that Kate, and maybe someone will believe you, but someone, who's targeting me, coulda just seriously hurt the men I consider to be my family. Because he's trying to get to me. The men would be better off if I took a long vacation."

"No we wouldn't, Mike." Captain Stanley said.

Kate looked over at Captain Stanley. "I've got everything I need," Kate said. She reached over and touched Mike's arm, "Hang in there, Mike."

Captain Stanley looked around. "When we get back to the station, let's talk in my office."

Mike said nothing; he knew arguing with his Captain would be useless.

E

"What's goin' on, Mike?" Captain Staley asked, sitting down in his chair and indicating Mike should take a seat.

"Nothin'."

"C'mon, Mike. I get it, this is not good. I get you're angry, we all are. I get it, you're mad this guy is already outta jail. But…," Captain Stanley hesitated. "I'm worried about you, Mike."

"The last guy that came after us, nearly killed Ainsley while she was pregnant with Hunter. He did kill Mrs. Hurley. Innocent people, that had nothing to do with Tim's beef against us. I don't want any more innocent deaths on my conscience. I already carry Mrs. Hurley."

"Tim's issues were not your fault, Mike."

"I know that, Cap. I also know that Tim targeted those people to get back at us. If this is really Kevin's work, who's gonna get hurt this time?" Mike just looked down at the floor.

"Mike, I want you to take the next shift off. Not as any type of discipline, and not because I think this has anything to do with you. But, because I want you to take some time to stop being a twit."

Mike looked up and saw Captain Stanley's smile. He just shook his head. "Point taken, sir."

E

Mike sat on the edge of his bed and wondered what to do with himself for the whole day. The men of A shift were working, and he was being forced to sit on the sidelines. Mike pushed himself off the bed and headed toward the shower. He had intentionally put off doing some errands, so he'd have something to do today. First on the agenda was grocery shopping.

Mike was entering the store when he heard a voice from the past. "I hear you're lookin' for me."

Mike turned to face Kevin Costas. "Yeah, I've been lookin' for you." On his days off, Mike had reached out to some fire fighters and police officers from his old area, trying to see if anyone had seen Kevin since his release.

"So, now ya found me."

"Oh, I'd say you have that backwards; you found me."

"Whatever."

"If you want to go after me, go after me," Mike said, moving toward him. "But, leave everyone else out of it."

"What's the matter, Fire Fighter Stoker, having some trouble on the job," Kevin sneered.

"Why you," Mike reached out to grab the guy's shirt with both hands, pulling him closer to him.

"Mike?"

Mike turned to see Ainsley standing a few feet away, a grocery cart full of bagged groceries in front of her. Mike let go of Kevin and took a step back.

"What's going on?" Ainsley looked between Mike and the other man.

Kevin looked Ainsley up and down. "Well, well, well, whatta we got here. You gonna be a daddy, Fire Fighter Stoker?"

Ainsley opened her mouth to speak, but Mike cut her off. "Go back inside, Ainsley."

Ainsley looked over at him, but didn't move.

"Now, Ainsley. Go!" Mike ordered.

Ainsley looked at Mike's face and moved back into the grocery store.

"Didn't want to introduce me to the little wife?"

Mike moved forward and jammed his finger in the guy's chest, "Stay away from her. You hear me. You got an issue with me, you take it up with me. Stop this passive aggressive crap."

"I have no idea what you're talking about Fire Fighter Stoker. I'm a reformed citizen, just ask my parole officer. If anything, you're the one harassing me; telling people that I damaged your truck and was starting dumpster fires. Both of those would have been violations of my parole."

"Stay away from me, stay away from my friends; or I'll make sure there is no parole," Mike said, pointing at him.

Kevin smirked and took a step back. "Have a nice day, Fireman."

Mike watched him walk over to car and get in. Mike watched until Kevin pulled out of the parking lot. He walked back into the store to deal with Ainsley.

"Ainsley, what are you doing here," Mike couldn't keep the anger out of his voice.

Ainsley gave him a confused look and looked down at her cart. "Grocery shopping. What's going on, Mike? Who was that guy?"

"Go get in your car," Mike said. "I'll follow you home."

"Mike, what's going on?"

"Let's go, Ainsley," Mike took her cart and moved toward the door. Ainsley followed behind him.

Mike loaded her groceries into her car and then opened the driver's side door for her. Ainsley just stood there, "What's going on, Mike?"

"Get in the car, Ainsley."

"Not until you tell me what's going on."

"Ainsley, get in the car."

Ainsley smiled. "You work with Johnny, I'm quite sure you've heard stories about how stubborn I can be. "

Mike couldn't help but smile. Johnny loved Ainsley, in fact, Mike would say that Ainsley and Johnny had as strong a marriage as Roy and Joanne; but Johnny had come in quite aggravated with how stubborn his wife could be more than once.

"When I get you home, Ainsley. Please, just get in the car and drive straight home. I'll be right behind you and I'll fill you in."

Ainsley got in the car and let Mike closed the door. She rolled down the window. "If you don't follow me home, Mike Stoker, I'm coming to your apartment."

"I'll only be a few seconds behind you, Ainsley." Mike knew he intended to hang back just a little bit to make sure Ainsley wasn't followed home.

Ainsley nodded and started her car. She pulled out of the parking lot while Mike jogged over to his truck and pulled out a few seconds behind her, watching for the car Kevin had been driving.

Ainsley pulled into her driveway and pulled forward enough for Mike to pull in behind her. He pulled in less than a minute later. He got out and opened her trunk to carry in the groceries. "Joanne got Hunter?"

"Yeah, we trade off kids for grocery shopping, we get out of the store with a lot less junk and a lot less hassle. She'll be down in just a few minutes with Jennifer and Chris. She's got to get lunch items since school starts tomorrow."

"How are you doing not going back to work tomorrow?"

"Changing the topic isn't going to work, so save your breath and spill your guts," Ainsley said, putting her hands on her hips.

"What has Johnny told you about what's going on at the station?"

Ainsley gave him a quizzical look. "Are you talking about the prank calls? Joanne told me that the station had a night of prank calls, oh, and that some teenagers had damaged your truck. Looks like you got it fixed," Ainsley said, looking at the window at Mike's truck.

"That's it?"

"What else is there?" Ainsley asked warily.

"The shift after the prank calls, we started getting calls for dumpster fires, over and over."

The color drained from Ainsley's face. "I wasn't around when everything started, but I know that's how Tim started his attacks on the station."

"Originally the thought was it was the teenagers playing a prank, but the last shift…," Mike stopped talking. He realized Johnny hadn't told Ainsley about the bomb. Which meant Roy probably hadn't told Joanne and Mike was about to get himself in big trouble.

"What happened on the last shift?" Ainsley asked, just as Joanne opened the door.

"Mike, what are you doing here? Why aren't you on shift?"

"Oh yeah," Ainsley said. "Why aren't you on shift? I was so shocked seeing you grab that guy I completely forgot you should be at work. Does this have anything to do with that guy?"

"What guy?" Joanne asked.

Mike looked at Chris, who was obviously listening to their conversation.

"Chris, Jennifer, can you take Hunter and Chief in the backyard?"

"Sure," Chris said, leading Hunter outside by the hand, and Jennifer following closely behind.

"Your husbands are gonna kill me," Mike said, rubbing his head.

"What's going on Mike?"

"The man you saw me with, is Kevin Costas. I was a key witness in getting him convicted of aggravated arson a few years ago," Mike said. "But, he got paroled early for good behavior. With everything going on, it's possible he's behind all the issues."

"The prank calls and damage to your truck?" Joanne asked.

"Yes."

"And, what happened on the last shift?"

"We had several calls for dumpster fires…," Mike hesitated again, Johnny and Roy were gonna kill him.

"And," Joanne prompted.

"A pipe bomb was in one of the dumpsters."

Ainsley and Joanne both gasped.

Ainsley jumped up from the table and went to the phone. She started dialing the number for the station, until Joanne reached her and disconnected the call. "You can't do that."

"A bomb went off and he didn't tell me. Just like with Tim. They could've been hurt, they could've been…," sobs choked Ainsley's voice and she couldn't get the words out.

Joanne hugged her. "I know, I feel the same way, but we can't call them on shift. You can't tell them that we know when they can't do anything about it until tomorrow morning. It's all they'll think about."

Ainsley continued to cry. Mike looked incredibly uncomfortable. "Ainsley, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry, please don't cry"

Joanne looked at Mike with sympathy. "It's pregnancy hormones, Mike. She'll be okay in a few minutes."

Ainsley just started to cry harder. Joanne led her to the table and got her to sit down. She went and got a box of tissue. She set the box in front of Ainsley. Mike sat down in the chair next to her. "Ainsley, no one was hurt. The police are taking this very seriously. They sent out a K-9 unit and the dog detected the bomb. You know we are all careful, and we take care of each other."

Ainsley sniffed and nodded her head. She reached for a tissue and blew her nose. She reached for a second to wipe her eyes. She got up from the table to throw them in the garbage and looked out into the backyard at Hunter running across the yard after Chris, Chief and Jennifer following closely behind. She placed a hand on her belly and thought about what life would be like without Johnny. She started to cry again.

Mike got up from the table, and went over to hug Ainsley. "Ainsley, I'm so sorry. That's why I'm off today. This is all my fault. The attacks are against me and I'm putting every in jeopardy."

"I don't buy that for one second, Mike."

"Me either," Ainsley said, easing out of Mike's hug. "What exactly did Captain Stanley say?" Ainsley asked as she moved to get another tissue.

"He told me to take the day to stop being a twit."

Ainsley and Joanne both laughed.

"Sounds like an order to me," Joanne said.

"So stop being a twit," Ainsley agreed. "If that guy is targeting you than it's all our problems, and none of our faults. What can we do to help?"

"You need to steer clear of me," Mike said, his face serious. "Ainsley, when you walked out of that door, and up to me in front of Kevin," Mike shook his head. "You made yourself a target."

"Then why didn't you tell him I wasn't your wife?"

"I didn't want to draw any attention to you at all. If he's really following me around it won't take him long to realize I'm not married and he'll forget all about you. But, if he hears you're the wife of one of my best friends; it keeps a target on you."

Ainsley walked over and hugged Mike.

Across the park, a person sitting in a car quickly dropped binoculars on the passenger seat as another car pulled into the park. The parking lot of the park that backed up to house was the perfect place to watch Mike. No one paid any attention to cars parked in the lot, and you could easily see into the back windows of the house. It would be nice to hear the conversation, but this would have to do for now. "You can't do this to me Mike Stoker; I'll teach you a lesson you won't soon forget."

The driver pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward downtown, some supplies were going to be needed.


	7. Chapter 7

Mike pulled into the parking lot and realized all the guys from B shift were already at the station. Before he'd left Joanne and Ainsley yesterday, he'd asked if he could be the one to tell Johnny and Roy that he'd told them about the pipe bomb. They'd agreed, so the only other obstacle had been to tell Caroline that he needed to change their breakfast date to dinner after she got off work. She'd been disappointed, he remembered her comment about liking starting her day out with him. It had been flattering. She'd ended the conversation saying she'd have to settle for having him for dessert. It had been sweet, and non-judgmental, but at the same time it had made him feel guilty for cancelling on her yet again. He knew Caroline hadn't meant it that way, her words had been nothing but sweet and flattering, but he still felt bad. Mike sighed and got out of the car.

"Captain Stanley, Johnny and Roy around?" Mike asked, as he entered the kitchen.

"Squad's on a call, they should be back in a few minutes. You doing better today, Mike?" Captain Stanley asked, looking closely at his young engineer.

Mike shrugged. "Maybe some. Until Johnny and Roy kill me anyway."

"Why are they gonna kill you?" Captain Stanley narrowed his eyes, not liking where this conversation was going.

"I told Joanne and Ainsley about the pipe bomb."

Captain Stanley closed his eyes, imagining how he would feel had Mike just said he'd told his wife Beth about the pipe bomb. Hank hadn't told her either and even though he hadn't talked to Johnny or Roy about it, he had been sure they hadn't told their wives either. After what the wives had gone through with Tim, he knew they all wanted to protect their wives from worrying about another person targeting the station when there was nothing they could do. "Mike, I told you to take the day off to stop being a twit, not to see how big of a twit you could be," Captain Stanley said, his voice angry.

Mike swallowed, if Cap was that mad, Johnny and Roy really were gonna kill him.

"It's a long story, but I didn't have a choice."

"There's always a choice," Captain Stanley said. "Our wives live every shift worrying that something's gonna happen to us. Accepting the fact that they will be on their own to take care of our children. We intentionally don't tell them about rough calls, we don't tell them when things come closer to going wrong than even we want to admit to ourselves. We don't tell them, because we don't want to make those 24 hours that we are gone any harder than we already know they are on them. You had no right to take the decision away from Johnny and Roy."

Mike looked down at the floor. He was never one to be on this side of a reprimand. Mike lived his life by the book, keeping the men of the station safe, making sure they had all the necessary resources to do their jobs. He helped make sure they got home to their wives every night.

Mike looked up as he heard the bay doors open; the squad was back.

"I recommend you don't take them to a restaurant," Captain Stanley said. "They're gonna be pissed, and being in public is not gonna keep them from making a scene. Especially Gage."

Mike nodded.

"Hey, Mike. What are you doin' here?" Johnny asked, walking into the kitchen. "Tom, you're gonna need to make a stop at Rampart for supplies. We didn't have to take this last one to the hospital, but we're running a little low on D5W." Johnny called out to Paramedic Tom Dwyer, who'd been sitting in the dayroom, on the couch, reading the paper.

"I'm gonna go change," Roy said, heading to the locker room.

"Right behind you," Johnny said, not waiting for Mike to answer his question on what he was doing at the station.

Mike let them go. He walked over to the phone and called a nearby diner to order breakfast to go. There was a park with picnic tables across the street from it and Mike figured that would be the best place to go.

"See you next shift, Mike," Johnny said, as he and Roy came back into the kitchen, headed toward the parking lot.

"Actually, guys, can I buy you breakfast?"

"Breakfast?" Johnny stopped and looked at him.

"You said the magic word, Mike," Roy said, looking at Johnny's face. "His mouth is already watering."

"Man, it is not. I got a wife at home cooking for me now," Johnny said.

"I already spoke with Ainsley and Joanne; they were cool with you guys going to breakfast with me."

Johnny and Roy exchanged looks. They figured Mike was going to talk to them about his history with the arsonist. "Sure, man, where you wanna go?" Roy asked, slapping Mike on the back.

"Rodgers park. I'll grab breakfast from Sonny's across the street."

"Okay, we'll meet you there," Johnny said.

E

Johnny and Roy stood up as Mike pulled into the parking lot for the park. They walked over and helped him get the to-go containers and cups of coffee out of the truck and carried everything over to the picnic table.

"How was the shift?" Mike asked, as they opened their containers, poured salt and pepper on eggs and hash browns, syrup over pancakes and took the lids off their coffee cups.

"Busy, but no prank calls, no dumpster fires," Roy said.

"And no bombs," Johnny added, a sausage link already crammed into his mouth.

"Because I wasn't there," Mike said quietly.

"Mike, you don't know that this Kevin guy even knew you weren't on shift," Roy rationalized.

"Yeah, I do. I saw him yesterday morning."

"You saw him," Johnny and Roy said simultaneously.

"At the grocery store. I'd put out the word that I was looking for him and he found me," Mike said, putting his fork down. He suddenly lost what little appetite he'd had.

"Why would you do that?" Roy asked.

"To tell him to stop playing these games," Mike said.

"And did he admit to setting the bomb?" Johnny asked.

"Yeah, right after he admitted to stealing the Lindbergh baby," Mike said, sarcastically.

"Alright, alright," Johnny said.

"He asked me if I was having trouble at work. He's behind this, I'm sure of it."

"Have you told Kate?"

"I talked to her last night. I had to tell her…," Mike hesitated.

"Had to tell her what?" Roy asked.

Mike looked over at Johnny. "That Kevin saw Ainsley with me and assumed she was my wife."

"What?" Johnny said, food falling out of his mouth.

"She was coming out of the grocery store. She saw my confrontation with Costas and came over. He assumed she was my wife."

"You set him straight, right?" Johnny said.

"No."

"What? How could you let that guy think that Ainsley's your wife. You're putting a target on her back," Johnny stood up. "I've gotta get home."

"Johnny wait!" Mike grabbed his arm.

Johnny pulled free. "I've got to go home and protect my family," Johnny said, his eyes bright with anger.

"There's a patrol car watching the house, Johnny. Besides, I haven't told you the worst part yet," Mike said.

"There's more?"

"Yeah," Mike said, looking at the ground.

Johnny looked back over at his Rover and then back at the picnic table. Torn between needing to hear what else Mike had to say and desperately needing to get back home to his family.

"Gage, it's important."

Johnny moved back down to sit with Roy.

"I drove Ainsley home, to make sure Kevin didn't follow her. She wanted to know what was going on with Kevin; she'd seen me grab his shirt," Mike said, looking down at the picnic table. "I asked her what she knew about what had been going on. She said she knew about the prank calls and the damage to my truck. That's about the time that Joanne got there. I had Chris and Jennifer take Hunter out back so they didn't hear anything," Mike looked back up at Roy and Johnny.

"Okay, what's the worst part?" Roy asked, already having a sinking feeling he knew what was coming.

"I told them about my last shift," Mike said quietly.

Johnny kept looking at Mike, the comment not sinking in right away.

"You what?!" It was Roy's turn to stand up.

"What?" Johnny asked, and then his eyes widened as what Mike just said hit him. "You didn't!" Johnny stood up. "Tell me you didn't tell our wives that someone set a bomb for us?!"

Roy and Johnny stood staring at Mike.

Mike stood up slowly to face them. "I wasn't trying to cause you guys any problems."

"Really, you coulda fooled me," Roy said, running a hand through his hair. "If we wanted our wives to know, we would've told them!" Roy pointed at his own chest. "Us, not you."

"The last thing Ainsley needs is more stress on her; she's having a terrible time with this pregnancy. How could you do that?" Johnny was furious.

"Guys, look…," Mike started to speak until Johnny cut him off.

"No, you look," Johnny said, pointing his finger at Mike. "Stay away from Ainsley, stay away from my home. I've got to get home. I can only imagine what a mess I'm walking into." Johnny stalked off toward his Rover.

Roy just stood looking at Mike for a few seconds and then followed Johnny toward the parking lot and his own car.

Mike dropped down to sit on the picnic table for a few seconds. He dropped his head into his hands and rubbed at his temples.

"Headache?"

Mike looked up and saw Meg standing in front of him.

"Not yet, but I have a feeling I'll have one soon," Mike said, sounding miserable.

"Anything I can do to help?" Meg sat down next to him.

Mike turned to look at her, and gave her a small smile. "Only if you have a time machine and can go back and make yesterday not happen."

Meg smiled. "Sorry, my time machine is in the shop. I bet things aren't as bad as you think though."

"Oh really?" Mike proceeded to tell her everything going on at the station, and what had happened yesterday with Ainsley and Joanne. "Johnny and Roy are really mad at me," Mike finished his story.

Meg had sat through the whole story not saying a word. Mike realized at some point she had reached over and put her hand over his. The gentle touch bringing at least some comfort.

"I'm sorry, Mike," Meg said quietly. "If I had some magic way to fix this for you, I really would. But, I know Ainsley pretty well and she'll talk some sense into Johnny; he'll get over being mad. I don't know Joanne personally, but from what I've heard about her form Ainsley, I am sure she'll do the same with Roy. I learned enough in the short time you and I dated that you guys don't just work together, you're family. Families get mad at each other, they have fights, but at the end of the day, they've always got your back."

Mike slid his hand out from under Meg's and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. He had heard the sadness in her last sentence; her dad had been the last of her family. Meg had been a twin, but her mom and sister had died in a car accident several years ago. Both her parents had been only children so she didn't have any aunts, uncles or cousins.

Meg briefly let her head rest on Mike's shoulder. They sat for a few minutes.

Meg finally sat up straight and looked at Mike. "What are your plans for the day?"

Mike just shrugged.

"There is an elderly lady in my neighborhood that really can't live on her own anymore. She's trying to get her house up for sale and it needs a lot of yard work done to give it curb appeal. I was actually on my way to Harry's Hardware store when I saw you. I'm just going to get some stuff to prune her bushes, lay down some mulch and plant some flowers. Today is my only day since school starts again tomorrow. Want to help do some manual labor?"

"That is really super sweet of you, Meg."

Meg smiled. "I wish I could take credit for the idea, but the elderly neighbor across the street from her actually approached several of us and asked us to help her out. There are going to be several other people working on the inside and outside of the house. I got assigned yard duty."

"It's still really nice of you to give up your last day off before going back to work, and I'd love to help," Mike readily agreed.

"Great," Meg smiled at him. "I'll help you clean all this up and you can go over to the hardware store with me. I'll make you load the bags of mulch," Meg smiled at Mike. She stood up and started cleaning up the food containers left by Johnny and Roy.

E

"Joanne," Roy called out, as he entered the house. He could hear the vacuum running upstairs. "Hey, Chris, how's your mom?" Roy asked his son who was sitting at the kitchen table eating a bowl of cereal.

"Cleaning like crazy and super sappy," Chris said.

"Whatdya mean by super sappy?" Roy asked.

"She keeps hugging and kissing us, it's gross dad, you gotta make her stop. If she does that stuff dropping me off at school tomorrow, I'll just die," Chris complained.

Roy ruffled his hair. "Women can get that way sometimes, son, you're gonna have to learn to live with it."

"At least she's not like Aunt Ainsley; she cried like three times yesterday," Chris said, totally exasperated with that amount of crying.

Roy frowned. "Sometimes woman who are going to have babies do that too."

"Poor Mr. Mike had no idea what to do. He just kept patting her arm and her hair. It was weird."

Roy bit back a laugh imagining the scene. At the same time, he knew Johnny was really worried about how emotional Ainsley had been lately. The last week had been particularly bad. Roy figured he'd give Dixie a call later and see if maybe she could stop by after her shift today and just check on Ainsley. For now, he needed to go see how his own wife was doing.

Roy bounded up the stairs. He peeked in on Jennifer who was playing with her Barbie's. "Hey, kiddo, what's happening?"

"Barbie and Skipper are going to a picnic with Ken," Jennifer told him

"Wow, that sounds like fun," Roy played along.

"Can we go on a picnic later dad?"

"Maybe, I've got to see what mom's got going on," Roy said, smiling at his little girl.

"She is cleaning like crazy," Jennifer told him. "Did you do something wrong?" Jennifer lowered her voice.

"Why do you ask?" Roy whispered back.

"Because mom is cleaning like she does when she yells at you," Jennifer replied, her face serious.

Roy grimaced. "I didn't do anything wrong. But, I'll go see if I can make it better."

"Flowers are a good idea," Jennifer smiled at him.

Roy just shook his head; she was too smart of her age. Roy kissed her on the forehead and went to go find his wife. Joanne was in their bedroom, on her hands and knees, using the vacuum attachment to vacuum the corners of their closet.

Roy closed the bedroom door as he entered. "Jo." When he didn't get an answer he leaned over and touched her shoulder. Joanne jerked and hit her head against the wall.

Roy reached over and turned off the vacuum. "Are you okay?" He asked, reaching down to help his wife off the floor.

Joanne was rubbing the top of her head with one hand. "You scared me."

"Sorry."

Joanne looked at him and could see the worry in his eyes. "I'm not mad at you; at least not super mad. I know why you didn't tell me about the bomb, but, Roy, you can't keep stuff like that from me. I need to know what's going on; if for no other reason than so I can be more aware of my surroundings and more cautious with the kids."

"I was just trying not to worry you. Mike seems to be the focus of the issues and the police are working on it. It was originally just damage to his truck and the prank phone calls, which we really thought were just the teenagers he took the beer from. The dumpster fires were reminiscent of how things started with Tim, but there wasn't anything that said it still wasn't just stupid teenagers acting out. The pipe bomb obviously changed things, but up until then Jo, we just thought it was teenagers acting out."

"And why didn't you tell me about the bomb?"

Roy just looked at her.

"You can't keep secrets from me, Roy. You have to promise."

Roy shook his head. "I reserve the right to make the choices I believe are best for you and our family."

Joanne's eyes narrowed. "Without any input from me? Really?"

I'm gonna kill Mike, Roy thought.

E

Ainsley and Hunter were playing in the backyard when Johnny pulled into the driveway. They were blowing bubbles into the air and Chief was viciously attacking as many as he could. Ainsley and Hunter were both laughing hysterically.

"Good morning," Johnny called out, as he opened the gate to let himself into the yard.

"Dada, bubbles," Hunter called out.

Ainsley moved over to hug him tightly and started tearing up.

Johnny pulled her close and kissed her hair. I'm gonna kill Mike, he thought. "Please don't cry, Ainsley. Everything's gonna be okay."

"You…coulda been….killed," Ainsley sniffled, trying hard not to start sobbing.

"But, I wasn't. No one was hurt. I'm fine. The police are involved, we're all okay."

"Mama cry," Hunter came over and patted her on the leg. "No cry, mama."

Ainsley sniffed trying even harder not to cry for her son. "Play bubbles with dada," Ainsley said, moving away from Johnny and heading into the house.

Johnny looked after Ainsley and down at Hunter. He was torn on what was best to do, but decided to give Ainsley a few minutes to try to pull herself together. He walked Hunter back over to where Ainsley had left her bubbles.

He and Hunter went back to blowing bubbles for Chief to attack. He loved listening to Hunter laugh. Johnny blew another big group of bubbles into the air, expecting the Shepherd to jump in the air to bite them. Instead, Chief turned toward the fence, leading out into the front of the house. His hair puffed up, his lips pulled back baring his teeth and a low growl came from the dog. Johnny turned to see what the dog had seen, when he heard what sounded like a firework exploding nearby and the sound of glass shattering. A split second later, he heard Ainsley scream.

Johnny grabbed Hunter and ran toward the back door, as he opened the door, Chief nearly knocked him down racing into the house. Johnny followed closely behind the dog. He stopped at the threshold between the kitchen and living room. The big picture window in the living room was shattered and glass was strewn all over the living room. Ainsley was leaning against the back wall a few feet from him, blood pouring down her arm. Chief stood between her and the window, growling, his hair still standing up.

"Ainsley," Johnny went to move toward her.

"No, don't bring Hunter in here. I'll come to you," Ainsley said, looking at Johnny holding their son.

"No, don't move," Johnny took in her bare feet and all the glass on the floor. "Just stay still," Johnny moved back into the kitchen and quickly strapped Hunter into his booster seat. He walked back into the living room, the sound of crunching glass under his shoes filling the room. He glanced at Ainsley's arm, but couldn't tell how bad it was because of all the blood. Johnny scooped Ainsley up in his arms and carried her to the kitchen. She had small cuts along her legs and feet too. Johnny sat her down in a chair and reached over to grab the phone.

"I need the police and the paramedics; someone threw what appears to be some type of explosive device through my window and my wife's been injured. She's got multiple lacerations and is bleeding quite a bit," Johnny gave his address to the dispatcher. He hung up and immediately called Roy. "I need you," was all he said before he hung up the phone.

"I'm going to get the first aid kit, don't touch your arm, Ainsley," Johnny said, getting up and moving toward the bathroom. Roy was entering the back door as Johnny walked back in from the bathroom. He was breathing heavily, having ran all the way down the street.

"What happened?" Roy asked taking in the scene.

Hunter started crying in his booster, not understanding what was going on, but knowing something wasn't right.

"Someone threw something through the picture window; it looks like a rock with fireworks attached, but I haven't had time to look at it closely. Can Joanne come get Hunter? I've called for a squad and the police."

Roy picked up the phone. "I need you to come get Hunter. Joanne, drive the car down, don't walk. I'll be watching for you."

Roy hung up the phone and moved to get Hunter out of his booster seat. He held the young boy close, whispering soothing words to try and calm him down. He took him outside and watched the area as Joanne hurried out to her car and drove the few houses to the Gage home. Roy was looking around for any other cars, or people walking around.

"What happened?" Joanne asked, she could hear the sirens coming in the distance.

"Take Hunter to our house, stay inside, keep the doors locked, and stay away from the downstairs windows. In fact, pull everyone into the upstairs den and watch a movie," Roy said, handing her Hunter. "I'll fill you in later. I've got to get back in, Ainsley's hurt."

"Bad?"

"The injury itself isn't terrible; she'll probably need stitches, but I'm worried about other possible concerns."

Joanne nodded and took Hunter. She'd drive the few houses with him in her lap rather than take the time to get him in and out of a car seat. Roy stood watching until she got them both into their home. The squad was pulling up as he lost sight of her.

"Whatcha got, Roy?" Tom asked, exiting the squad.

"Ainsley's got multiple lacerations for the picture window shattering. I can't tell how bad her right arm is, but there's a lot of blood," Roy said, waiting for them to grab the equipment.

"Johnny with her?"

"Yeah, the police should be on their way. I just sent Hunter with Joanne to my house."

Dwyer nodded and he and his partner, Brian, followed Roy into the house. Johnny was kneeling down next to Ainsley, carefully cleaning her arm, trying to see the extent of the injury.

"We got it, Johnny," Tom said, setting down the drug box next to Johnny and clearly expecting Johnny to let them get Ainsley. Johnny was reluctant to move.

"Gage, your job is to hold her hand," Tom said, placing his hand on Johnny's shoulder. Johnny stood up and moved to sit in a chair that he pulled over next to Ainsley. She hadn't said a word or made a sound since he'd sat her in the chair. She looked pale. Johnny leaned in close to her, wrapping his arms around her waist the best that he could without getting in Tom's and Brian's way.

Tom finished cleaning Ainsley's arm, while Brian checked out the rest of her. Brian hooked up the biophone.

Tom was taking Ainsley's blood pressure. He released the valve and listened for the second number. He looked up at Johnny and started pumping up the blood pressure cup again. Johnny slowly moved his hand and placed it on Ainsley's left arm, it was cold and clammy. His eyes met Tom's as he completed a second blood pressure reading.

"Rampart, this is Squad 51, how do you read?"

"Go ahead, 51," Dixie's familiar voice came across the biophone.

"Rampart, we have a female, 24 years old, with multiple lacerations due to an exploding picture window. She has a several cuts on her legs and feet that do not appear to be too concerning, but she has a deep three-inch gash on her right arm and is losing a lot of blood. Please be advised patient is Ainsley Gage and is 37 weeks pregnant. Blood pressure is 80/50, pulse is 105 and weak, patient is cold and clammy," Brian relayed to Dixie.

"Get me Dr. Brackett," Dixie said, to the nurse standing nearby. "51, standby."

Dr. Brackett got to the communication station and read Dixie's notes. "51, start the patient on oxygen and start an IV of D5W wide open. Transport as soon as possible."

Dr. Brackett looked over at Dixie, "Dixie, set up in Treatment Room 1 and alert Ainsley's OB, Dr. Collier."

Dixie moved to the phone to page Dr. Collier and then quickly moved to set up Treatment Room 1.

Roy and Brian walked out to meet the arriving ambulance and came in with a gurney.

"I'm not riding on that," Ainsley said, the first words she'd spoken since Johnny had carried her into the kitchen.

"Yes you are," all four guys said in unison.

Ainsley couldn't help but chuckle. "I guess I'm not winning this one."

Ainsley allowed Tom to start the IV, but tried to protest the oxygen. Johnny grasped her hands, as she tried to block Brian from putting the mask on her face. "Honey, you've got to let them do this. We need to take care of you and the baby, okay." At the seriousness of Johnny's expression Ainsley dropped her hands in her lap. The guys helped her move over to the gurney; Johnny never leaving her side. When she was loaded into the ambulance Johnny and Tom climbed in with her.

"Did you notice?" Ainsley asked Johnny quietly.

"Notice what?" Johnny asked, his eyes skimming quickly over Ainsley.

"I'm not crying."

Johnny smiled at her and brushed a piece of hair back out of her eyes. "No, you're not crying." He leaned over and kissed her softly on the forehead, and then looked over at Tom with a knowing look. Tom gave a slightly imperceptible nod, and pulled a second blanket out of a drawer.

Johnny reached over and helped put the blanket over Ainsley. What he didn't say to her was that she probably wasn't crying because she was in shock. Her blood pressure was very low, her skin was cold and clammy and her pulse was rapid and weak. Johnny was doing his best not to show her his concern, but shock could be a life threatening condition for both her and the baby. The ambulance couldn't get to hospital fast enough for him.


	8. Chapter 8

Detective Kate Stryker pulled up to the Gage home as the ambulance pulled away carrying Ainsley and Johnny. Roy was standing in the driveway.

"Hi, Roy, can you update me on what happened?"

"Sure, come on in," Roy turned, leading the way into the house. "From what Johnny was able to tell me as they loaded Ainsley in the ambulance, she had gone into the house, he and Hunter were playing in the backyard with Chief. Johnny heard what sounded like a large firework going off nearby and the sound of shattering glass. He heard Ainsley scream and ran inside; this is what he found," Roy said, stopping at the doorway between the kitchen and living room.

Kate took in the scene. "Who's been in the living room since the event?"

"Ainsley must have been in the living room when the device was thrown to receive the cuts she did, Johnny went in to pick her up and carry her out, because she was barefoot. No one else has been in the room, and no one touched that thing," Roy pointed to what looked like a rock wrapped in fireworks.

Kate slipped on gloves and moved into the living room. She bent down and picked up the device. It was indeed a very large rock with multiple fireworks banded to the exterior. Kate guessed the person had lit the fuses and waited until just before they were going to explode and threw the rock so the fireworks exploded near the glass, the explosion who have shattered the glass and sent it flying like tiny knives. Kate stood up and moved to the back wall, multiple pieces of glass were embedded in the wall.

"How's Ainsley?" Kate asked, looking at the damage and wondering how bad she'd been cut.

"Not great, there's only one really big gash, and a lot of little cuts, but she went into shock from the trauma of the event. Shock is dangerous to a normal, healthy person, it puts a pregnant woman and the unborn child at an even bigger risk."

"Is she gonna be okay?" Kate asked.

"I hope so," Roy said, his voice carrying the seriousness of the situation.

"Given that Kevin Costas just saw Mike with Ainsley yesterday, it places a greater level of suspicion on him for doing something like this. I'll have his parole officer call him today and get him into the station for questioning. Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll confess," Kate said, slipping an evidence bag out of her case and moving over to put the rock into the bag.

"I'm gonna call the guys to come clean this up for Johnny, board up the window and I'm gonna head to the hospital to check on Ainsley. "Roy said, motioning to the mess.

"I'm gonna have detectives in checking for evidence and examining the scene for a while. We have a company I can have come in to clean up the glass and board the window. They're good and will make sure even the tiniest piece of glass gets cleaned up so Hunter doesn't get cut," Kate explained.

"That would be great, Kate. I can have Joanne come down and lock up when they're done," Roy was relieved this mess would be taken care of by professionals.

"I'm going to canvas the area and talk to some neighbors. If you want, I can wait for the company and makes sure they notify Joanne when they are done. That way you can wait with Johnny at the hospital."

"Kate, that'd be great, thanks. I have Chief locked in the backyard. Come and let me introduce you. Keep him outside until the work is done; and Joanne can put him back in the house when she comes to lock up."

Roy took Kate into the backyard and Chief eagerly approached her, kissed the hand she held out and leaned against her. He seemed to instantly know she was someone who could be trusted. "I think we'll be fine," she said, scratching Chief's ears. Roy could have sworn the dog sighed.

"Tell Johnny I hope everything is okay and I'll catch up with him later to get his statement."

Roy nodded and headed out. He'd stop home and fill Joanne in on what had happened and that he was going to the hospital to sit with Johnny. Then he'd call the Captain, so he could reach out to all the guys. He could then head toward the hospital.

E

Mike watched as Meg pulled her car back up to Mrs. Harper's house. He checked his watch, she'd been gone a long time. He had started to get worried about her. He moved toward the car to help her unload the additional bags of mulch. They had bought all the bags at Harry's Hardware store, but had needed two more bags. Meg had left over an hour ago for a trip that really should have only taken 20 minutes. "Hey, everything okay?" Mike said approaching the car, as Meg got out and moved to open the trunk.

"I had to go to 3 different stores," Meg said, unlocking the trunk. "None of them had any mulch. Apparently this is the week for everyone in LA to do yard work."

Mike smiled. "Well, you managed to miss the hard work of yanking out that dead bush," Mike teased her, pointing to a large dead bush it took him and two other guys to pull out of the ground.

"Darn," Meg said, snapping her fingers.

Mike laughed. "I knew you'd be devastated."

Mike noticed one of the other guys watching Meg. He was tall with blonde hair and blue eyes. The guy moved across the yard toward Meg and Mike found himself moving himself in between the two of them.

"Hi, Meg," the guy said.

"Hi, Joe, I didn't know you were going to be here today."

"I managed to get the day off work and wanted to help out."

Meg smiled at him. "That's really nice of you; especially with how busy I know you are." Meg turned to look at Mike. "Mike Stoker, this is Joe Wade. He runs a large plumbing supply company."

Mike nodded. "Nice to meet you. Meg, we should get this mulch down, I know you said you still had a few things to do to get ready for the first day of class tomorrow."

Meg looked at her watch. "Oh wow, I can't believe it's so late. It was good to see you Joe."

Joe looked over at Mike and then back to Meg. "It was good to see you too, Meg. Maybe I'll see you around soon."

Meg smiled, as she moved to follow Mike, who was already walking away. "Sure."

E

Dixie was waiting in the hallway as the gurney rounded the corner from the ambulance bay. "We're ready for you in Treatment Room 1," Dixie said to Dwyer, as he rounded the corner. She moved to open the door to the treatment room. As everyone entered Dixie reached out and touched Johnny's arm. He looked really worried.

Dr. Brackett entered the room only a few seconds later. "What's the most recent vitals."

Dwyer relayed the information, as they moved Ainsley from the ambulance gurney to the hospital gurney. Dr. Brackett frowned, he had really hoped with the oxygen and IV the vitals would have improved, instead they were slightly worse.

"Ainsley, do you hurt anywhere other than your arm?" Dr. Brackett asked, an expert eye quickly looking her over.

Ainsley shook her head, then she paused, "I don't know, maybe."

"What do you mean maybe?" Dr. Brackett asked, moving up near the head of the bed so he could take her pulse himself. He took her wrist and noted that her skin was cold and clammy.

"I don't know," Ainsley looked confused.

Dr. Brackett looked over at Johnny. "Ainsley, does your head hurt?"

Ainsley looked at him, her eyes narrowing like she wasn't sure how to answer the question.

"Dix, why don't you help get Ainsley in a gown. Dr. Collier should be here any minute and I think we should do a full exam to be on the safe side. Johnny, why don't we step out while Ainsley changes and we can have a little chat."

Johnny leaned over and kissed Ainsley's cheek. "I'll be right back, Beautiful."

Johnny and Dr. Brackett stepped outside the room and spotted Dr. Early just down the hall. "Joe, can you come here for a minute."

"What's going on?" Dr. Early asked.

"They just brought in Ainsley Gage. There was an explosive device thrown through the window," Dr. Brackett explained.

"Are you serious?" Dr. Early looked over at Johnny, who just nodded.

"She received a pretty bad laceration; but she's in shock. I'm concerned about how bad it seems to be. She seems a disoriented. I'm concerned maybe the device hit her on the head. There isn't any obvious bleeding, but she's really not herself."

Meanwhile, in the room, Dixie was helping Ainsley get undressed and into a hospital gown. She had carefully helped her remove her shirt and had slipped on the hospital gown before removing her pants. Dixie cocked her head to look at Ainsley's side, it looked dark, but with the gown and her pants still on, Dixie thought it might just be a shadow.

"Let me help slip off your pants and then I'll help get the gown straightened and the covers up before we call all the men back in," Dixie said.

Ainsley didn't reply, her hand was rubbing her belly and she was frowning.

"Is your belly hurting?" Dixie asked.

"I don't know. I don't feel very good," Ainsley looked up, her eyes meeting Dixie's.

"Can you explain to me what hurts?" Dixie asked, her voice gentle.

"I feel a little dizzy," Ainsley said, and then she blushed. She lowered her voice. "And I think I wet myself," she whispered.

Dixie gave her a reassuring smile. "It happens sometimes at this stage of pregnancy. If that's the case, we can get you cleaned up before the guys come back in." Dixie moved to remove Ainsley's pants, but frowned as she pulled back the covers, there was some blood on the sheet.

Dixie removed Ainsley's pants as quickly as possible and saw a lot more blood. She quickly moved to her side to help pull down the gown and froze. "Ainsley, can you roll on your side toward the wall a little bit for me?" Dixie asked, pulling the gown up higher to better see Ainsley's stomach. A huge bruise was spreading across Ainsley's belly, the pooling blood turning the lower right side of her stomach almost purple. Dixie put her hand on Ainsley's arm. "Just stay like that for me one second okay, Ainsley." Dixie said and then quickly moved to the door. She stepped out in the hallway and looked down to see Dr. Brackett, Dr. Early and Johnny standing down by the nursing station talking. Dr. Collier was just walking up to join them.

"Kel!"

The men were instantly in motion at the sound of Dixie's voice, the worry radiating down the hallway. Dr. Brackett entered the room with Dr. Collier right behind him. Johnny entered next followed by Dr. Early. Every stopped and for a few seconds just looked at the huge bruise on Ainsley's stomach and the growing puddle of blood on the sheets, no one moving or saying anything.

Dr. Collier was the first to react, "I'm gonna need an OR, STAT. Scrub in with me?" Dr. Collier looked at Dr. Brackett, who nodded.

"Dixie, I'm gonna need an incubator and a pediatric neonatal physician in the room," Dr. Collier said, as he and Dr. Brackett both unlocked wheels to start moving the bed.

"What's happening?" Ainsley asked, her eyes showing fear at all the sudden movement.

Everyone stopped to give Johnny just a moment with his wife. "Beautiful, it looks like you got hit in the belly with the rock that came through the window. You're bleeding and that's not good for the baby. They have to get the baby out right now, okay. I love you, Ainsley; it's gonna be okay," Johnny tried to sound more confident than he was.

"I'm scared," Ainsley whispered, tears glistening in her eyes.

Johnny leaned down and kissed her lightly.

"Johnny," Dr. Brackett's voice made it clear they had to get moving.

Johnny stepped to the side and took Ainsley's hand. He'd walk alongside the gurney as long as he could. Dr. Brackett and Dr. Collier quickly got the down the hallway and keyed the elevator to take them to the surgical floor. Dixie was hanging up the phone and quickly joined them.

"OR 3, Dr. Navarro will join you in 5 minutes," Dixie advised them, taking a spot next to Johnny. She reached over and squeezed his hand. "Joanne said Roy is already on his way here. I left word at the nurse's station to direct him to the surgical waiting room."

Johnny nodded.

Johnny had only been pacing in the waiting room a few minutes when he was joined by Roy, Chet and Marco. A look of confusion must've crossed Johnny's face because Marco spoke as the threesome walked up, "Captain Stanley called us and told us what happened. We ran into Roy in the parking lot."

"Johnny, why are we up here, the nurse didn't say anything, just directed us up here."

Johnny sat down, suddenly feeling the weight of the events hitting him. "The rock must've hit Ainsley in the belly. She started bleeding and the whole side of her stomach was almost purple from severe bruising."

Roy swallowed understanding all the things Johnny wasn't saying. Those symptoms indicated placenta abruption and put the baby and Ainsley in grave danger. Roy sat down next to his best friend and said nothing, there wasn't anything he could say that would make this any better.

Marco and Chet knew enough to know the condition was serious and they didn't need to know anymore. They sat down too. Captain Stanley joined them a few minutes later. Roy stood up and walked over as he entered the waiting room. Roy explained the situation.

"I couldn't reach Mike," Captain Stanley said, looking over at where Marco and Chet sat next to Johnny.

"That may be for the best," Roy said.

"Look, I know you guys are mad he told Ainsley and Joanne about the pipe bomb," Captain Stanley started, but Roy cut him off.

"Mike put the word out he was looking for this Costas guy. The guy tracked Mike down at the grocery store yesterday, and saw Ainsley with him." Roy let Captain Stanley draw his own conclusions.

"You think that is why this happened?"

"How else would this guy know about Ainsley. Also, he thought Ainsley was Mike's wife, carrying Mike's baby."

"This isn't Mike's fault," Captain Stanley defended his Engineer.

"I know that, you know that, and deep down, Johnny knows that. But right now his wife and unborn child are in a desperate situation, maybe it's best he's not here."

Captain Stanley just nodded and he and Roy went to go sit with Johnny. None of the men spoke, their comfort just being the fact that they were there.

"I'm gonna go get us some coffee," Chet said, "Who wants some?"

All the guys replied that they would like some except Johnny who continued to just stare at the ground.

Chet walked away from the group and toward the cafeteria. He stopped at the first pay phone he came to though and dialed Mike's number.

Mike was just walking in the door from helping Meg when the phone started ringing. He debated ignoring it, he wanted to get a shower before he had to pick up Caroline; but then he thought it might be her calling to say Hi, she did that every now and then on his days off.

"Stoker," Mike said, picking up the phone.

"Where have you been?" Chet's words were clipped and he was obviously agitated.

"I was helping Meg with a project," Mike said, confused by Chet's tone.

"Someone bombed Gage's home. Ainsley got hurt real bad, they just took her into surgery to deliver the baby."

Mike swore under his breath. "I'm on my way."

Chet finished getting coffee and headed back up to the guys. He handed out the cups, but when Johnny didn't reach for his Chet just sat it on the table in front of him. A breathless Mike showed up a few minutes later.

"What are you doing here?" Johnny said, getting to his feet.

"I thought you said you couldn't reach him," Roy said to Captain Stanley, getting to his feet and trying to get in between Mike and Johnny.

"I couldn't," Captain Stanley said, standing up and moving toward Johnny.

"I called him, what's the problem?" Chet said, also getting to his feet.

"The problem is, this is his fault," Johnny said, his eyes bright with anger.

"How's this Mike's fault?" Marco asked.

"He searched out Costas and then let him think Ainsley was his wife carrying his baby. The attack on Ainsley is his fault," Johnny said, reaching out and poking Mike in the chest with his finger.

Mike didn't move, didn't try to defend himself.

"I don't want you here," Johnny shoved at Mike again, this time Roy moved in between them.

"Johnny."

All the men turned at Dixie's voice. Roy felt his heart sink when he realized she wasn't holding a baby. Roy had been with Johnny when Hunter had been born. Dixie had walked out holding the baby. Now her arms were empty and her expression was serious.

Johnny moved toward Dixie. He felt like he was moving through water, his body heavy as he tried to reach Dixie. His mind had registered the same thing; she wasn't holding a baby.

"Ainsley just gave birth to a little girl, 7 lbs, 9 ounces, 20 ½ inches long," Dixie said, reaching out and putting a hand on Johnny's arm.

Johnny swallowed hard, "But?"

"The 1 minute apgar score was only 2. It improved at the 5-minute mark to 4; but the baby is in an incubator and being moved to the neonatal intensive care unit. The placenta probably ruptured with the hit, the baby's respiration was low, her color wasn't good and her pulse was really low. But, she's getting better Johnny and the doctor's think she's got a great chance."

"How's Ainsley?"

Dixie was quiet for longer than Johnny liked.

"Dix, please, I need to know. Am I gonna be raising these kids by myself?"

"They're trying everything they can Johnny. You know first-hand Kel hates to lose and Ainsley's a fighter."

Johnny just nodded. "Can I see my daughter?"

"Not yet, but as soon as you can I'll let you know."

Johnny nodded.

They guys had stayed back by the chairs wanting to give Johnny his space to talk to Dixie. Johnny walked back over to them. "I have a daughter. She needs some special care right now, but they think she'll be okay," Johnny told them.

The guys slapped him on the shoulder and offered congratulations, but it was subdued, the question of Ainsley hanging in the air. "They're trying to save Ainsley. It's too early to know for sure," Johnny felt his throat tightening and tears sting his eyes. He looked down and away from the guys. "I need to go call Ainsley's parents," he said quietly and walked away to give himself a few minutes and to call Ainsley's mom and dad.

"I'm gonna go wait down the hall," Mike said. "Chet, Marco, one of you come tell me as soon as you hear anything about Ainsley okay?"

Captain Stanley wanted to tell him to stay, but knew it was probably best that he give Johnny some space right now. He was proud of him though that he was staying in the hospital and not just bailing on his shift mate.

Mike headed toward another waiting room down the hall and took a seat. He saw Johnny look at him as he walked back to where the other guys were sitting, but he never slowed. Mike got up and went to make a phone call of his own. He needed to cancel his date with Caroline. He'd be here until they knew Ainsley was okay.

E

"Her blood pressure is dropping again," the nurse said.

"There, another bleeder," Dr. Brackett pointed out.

Dr. Collier pointed to another area of the uterus, "There's another. This isn't working."

Dr. Brackett looked up and met Dixie's gaze. She simply nodded. She moved across the room and picked up a new surgical tray, bringing it over to the table. Another surgical nurse removed the tray they had been using, taking away the bloodied instruments.

"I'm gonna go take Johnny to see his daughter," Dixie said quietly, before slipping out of the operating room.

"Hang two more units of blood," Dr. Collier ordered.

Dixie slipped out the door and leaned against the wall briefly. She removed her hat and mask, dropping them into the appropriate receptacle. She moved back to the waiting room to find Johnny.

"Johnny, do you want to go see your daughter?"

Johnny got up and followed Dixie to the nursery. "I can't let you hold her yet, but you can see her." Dixie led him into the NICU. She walked to the third incubator and Johnny looked down at his baby girl.

"She looks like Ainsley," Johnny whispered, taking in the wispy blonde hair and fair skin. The tube running into the babies nose and taped to her cheek, the IV in her leg and the beeping of the machines monitoring the baby's vitals were all reminders that his baby girl was still in danger.

"Did you and Ainsley have a name?" Dixie asked.

"Grace Elizabeth," Johnny said, looking down at his daughter.

"Grace Elizabeth Gage," Dixie said. "I'll have them add the name to her incubator."

"Are they worried about brain damage?"

"Dr. Navarro didn't think so," Dixie said. "They'll run more tests to be sure, but they don't think there will be any long-term issues."

"Ainsley died didn't she?"

"No, why would you ask that?" Dixie said, shocked.

"I shouldn't be in here, but you brought me anyway. Isn't it to tell me that Ainsley's gone, but I have to survive it for our daughter."

Dixie shook her head. "I'm sorry, Johnny. I didn't think you'd take it to that extreme. Ainsley was still alive when I left. She's lost a lot of blood and wasn't out of the woods yet, but she was alive."

Johnny searched Dixie's face. "Really?"

"I promise, Johnny. She was still hanging on when I left."

Johnny reached out and hugged Dixie.

They made their way back toward the waiting room. On his way back to the group he saw Mike sitting on his own. Johnny paused. "I've got to talk to Mike. Will you check on Ainsley?" Dixie nodded and headed back toward the operating rooms.

"It's easier to be mad at you than admit I'm terrified of losing my wife," Johnny said, sitting down next to Mike.

"No, man, you're right, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have gone looking for Costas, I should have cleared up that Ainsley wasn't my wife. I coulda sworn he didn't follow us, but I obviously screwed that up."

"This isn't your fault, Mike. It's whomever is doing this. Ainsley would have confronted this guy herself if she thought it would help you."

"I'm really sorry, Johnny."

"I know," Johnny said. "C'mon, let's go sit with the others. Waiting is better in a group."

Mike and Johnny walked down to join the guys. No one commented on Mike being back with the group, they just accepted him back.

E

"Hi."

Everyone turned at the soft, female voice.

"Caroline," Mike said, shocked to see her. "I thought I told you not to come down?"

"I figured you needed a Go Fer," Caroline said, moving to slide her hand into his.

"A gopher?" Chet asked, an eyebrow going up.

Caroline laughed. "No, not a gopher, a Go Fer, you know "go fer coffee", "go fer dinner". You all will still need things to eat or drink, but I knew none of you would want to leave until you heard about Johnny's wife and baby. I thought I could be a help."

"That was really sweet," Mike leaned over and gave her a quick kiss.

Caroline let herself lean into Mike.

"Hi."

The guys turned toward the new female voice. "Hey, Kate," Johnny said. "Have you found out anything?"

Kate shook her head, "Not yet, but Kevin Costas parole officer is bringing him into the station in an hour. I'm hoping to know something then, but I was hoping to find Mike here, I wanted to ask you just a few questions before I met with Kevin."

"Sure."

"Where were you at 10:30 AM?"

"You don't think Mike did this?" Captain Stanley said, his voice irritated.

Kate shook her head. "No, but we all think that Mike is the center for all these attacks. I want to build a picture of where Mike is and what he is doing during these attacks."

"I was with Meg working on Mrs. Harper's house."

"What?" Caroline said, moving away from Mike.

"Who's Mrs. Harper?"

Mike looked from Caroline to Kate. "She's an elderly lady who lives down the street from Meg. She can't live on her own anymore and needs to sell the house. Several neighbors got together to help work on the house and get it ready to go up for sale."

"So you're spending time with your ex-girlfriend? You said you had to cancel our breakfast to meet with Johnny and Roy. You lied to me."

"It wasn't like that," Mike said. "We ran into each other after I'd met with Johnny and Roy. The meeting hadn't gone well and I was feeling kinda down. Meg thought helping out her neighbor would help me focus on someone other than myself."

"Yeah, like her," Caroline said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Caroline," Mike started.

"I'm sorry, Mike, but I need to ask a few more questions before I head back to the station," Kate interrupted them.

"Sorry, Kate, what else do you need?"

Caroline walked away from them, to look out the window at the end of the hall.

"Were you with Meg the entire time?"

"Yes, well most of it. She had to go and get more mulch, but I stayed at the house."

"How long was she gone?" Kate asked.

"About an hour."

"And what time was that?"

"She probably left around 10:00 AM and got back around 11:00 AM."

Kate made a note in her notebook. "Sorry to have caused you problems," Kate looked over at Caroline.

"It's my own fault. I didn't even think about how Caroline would feel about my spending time with Meg. I just keep screwing this relationship up. I can't even tell you how many times I've cancelled dates on her."

"Yet she's still here," Kate said.

"Yeah, yeah, she is. Thanks, Kate. Do you need anything else?"

"Nope, go see your girlfriend."

Mike walked down the hall to Caroline. He got her to turn to face him. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking about how it would make you feel if I spent time with Meg. I was just thinking about myself and how I was feeling down. It felt good to help out Mrs. Harper, but it was about helping her, not spending time with Meg."

"You don't even know her; how can you honestly say it wasn't about Meg?"

Mike took a chance and moved forward to slip his arms around Caroline's waste. "I like you. I'm not looking to see anyone else."

Caroline tilted her head and looked at him. "But you did."

"I promise, Caroline, it was just a friend thing. But, I won't spend time with her anymore if it bothers you. You're important to me."

"I don't want to come across as controlling, Mike. I just, I saw Meg, she's beautiful and it's obvious she still has feelings for you. I don't want to lose you," Caroline leaned into him, resting her head on his chest.

Mike tilted her head up and engaged her in a deep kiss. "I'm not going anywhere."

Caroline smiled and kissed him again. "Promise?"

"Promise."

E

Mike and Caroline moved to join the rest of the group just as Dr. Brackett and Dr. Collier walked up.

Johnny stood to his feet, "Doc?"

"She's okay, Johnny," Dr. Brackett said. "She lost a lot of blood. She's gonna need some time to recover, but she'll live."

Johnny laughed with relief. "Thanks, doc, I mean it, really thanks," Johnny reached out and grabbed his hand, shaking it hard.

"There is some bad news," Dr. Collier said.

Johnny looked over at him.

"I couldn't stop the bleeding without removing her uterus. She won't be able to have any more children," Dr. Collier broke the news to Johnny. "I'm sorry, Johnny. I know in an ideal world you and Ainsley wanted four children.

Johnny shook his head. "I have my wife, we have a son and a daughter, I've got great friends and a job I love. A man can't ask for any better."

"I can take you to see her, Johnny, but she'll be pretty out of it." Dr. Brackett said.

"Thanks."

Johnny followed Dr. Brackett to Ainsley's room. They walked into the room where Ainsley lay in bed, her eyes closed.

She looked really pale. There was an IV bag still giving her fluids. "She's gonna be really weak and right now sleep is the best thing for her," Dr. Brackett said.

Johnny nodded. He moved toward the bed with the intention of just sitting down in the nearby chair, but Ainsley's eyes flickered open. "Baby?" She whispered.

"We have a beautiful baby girl," Johnny whispered back.

Ainsley gave him a weak smile. "I love you my husband."

"I love you my wife."

Dr. Brackett slipped out of the room.

"Stay," Ainsley tried to say with me, but didn't have the energy to get the words out.

Johnny climbed into bed with her, being careful not to disturb her IV. He adjusted things so he could wrap her in his arms. Johnny lay there listening to Ainsley's soft breathing as she quickly fell back to sleep. He pressed his lips to her forehead. He'd come extremely close to losing his wife and unborn child today. He'd never take the ability to just hold any of them for granted ever again.


	9. Chapter 9

"Have a seat," Kate directed Kevin Costas to a chair in the interrogation room.

Kevin sat down and leaned back in the chair.

Kate let her eyes sweep over him and made a quick assessment, cocky, disrespectful of authority, and sure he was going to have the upper hand in this conversation. How did this guy get out early for good behavior, she thought?

Kevin watched his parole officer sit down on the opposite side of the table and Kate took a seat next to him.

"What's this, two against one? I've done nothin' wrong," Kevin protested. "Do I need to call a lawyer?"

"That depends," Kate said. "Have you done something where you need a lawyer?"

"Man, I ain't done nothin'. Ask, him, he'll tell ya, I've obeyed all the rules I'm supposed to," Kevin protested.

"Where were you today at 10:30 AM?" Kate asked.

"I was home. I work a midnight shift at a gas station. I got off at 7:00 AM, I went home, ate something and went to bed."

"Can anyone verify that?"

"I live alone," Kevin said.

"You sought out Mike Stoker the other day, why?"

"Oh, no, you've got that wrong. He found me."

"You didn't approach him in a grocery store parking lot and ask him if he was having some trouble on the job?"

"Look, Stoker helped put me in jail, I get out and all of sudden he's looking for me. I had three guys tell me they'd been approached by firemen and police officers askin' 'bout me cause Stoker was lookin' for me. It don't take a genius to figure out it's gotta be a work thing."

"So what, you followed him?" Kate asked.

"No, no way. I didn't follow him. I live a couple blocks from that grocery store. I'm puttin' my groceries in the car and suddenly there he is, Fireman Stoker. So, I asked him what he wanted from me."

"And then you saw Ainsley."

"Is that his wife's name?"

"She's not his wife; she's the wife of one of the guys he works with. And that stunt you pulled today, throwing an explosive device through the Gage's picture window almost cost her life and the life of their unborn child," Kate said, her voice angry.

"Woah, I didn't throw nothin' nowhere," Kevin said, putting up his hands in a defensive gesture. "I left work and went straight home."

"See, that's not what I think happened," Kate said, locking eyes with Kevin. "I think you saw Mike yesterday, saw him with Ainsley and it ate at you all night that Mike Stoker had moved on with his life while you were stuck sitting in jail and it burned you up. The more you thought about it, the madder you got and then you started plotting how you could mess up his perfect life. Damaging his truck and planting pipe bombs for his station wasn't enough for you anymore. So you strapped some fireworks to a rock and threw in through what you thought was his picture window. Only it wasn't his home and it wasn't his wife."

"Damaging his truck, setting bombs? You've got it all wrong, Detective. I'm reformed."

"Right," Kate said sarcastically.

"Why, Detective, don't you believe in our justice system? I realized in the joint that burning all those places down where I had bad memories, or burnin' down the houses of people who'd done me wrong, was just lashing out at a past I couldn't change, no matter how many buildings I burnt to the ground. But, all I was doin' was screwin' up my future. I'm serious about getting my life on track."

Kate seriously doubted that, but the simple truth was she couldn't prove it. "Stay away from Mike Stoker and the other men at Station 51. If you are seen following any of them, or approaching any of them, it will be considered a violation of your parole. If you are seen causing any property damage, engaging in any acts of arson, or creating explosive devices, it will be a violation of your parole."

"I completely understand, Detective," Kevin said, a serious expression on his face.

"I will be watching you," Kate warned him.

"I look forward to it," Kevin said, winking at her.

E

"I'll follow you home," Mike told Caroline, as he walked her to her car.

"That's not necessary," Caroline said.

"I'd feel better if I made sure you got home okay," Mike said.

"Do you really think this happened because this Kevin guy thought Ainsley was your wife?" Mike had explained the whole story to her while they sat in the waiting room.

"I do, and it isn't gonna take this guy long to figure out that he was wrong and Ainsley isn't my wife. If he watches me for any length of time, he's gonna see you and realize you're important to me."

"You're worried about me?" Caroline smiled at him.

"Yes, and for obviously good reasons," Mike said, motioning back toward the hospital.

"Aww, Mike, you're so sweet," Caroline slipped her arms around his neck, standing up on her tip toes and kissing Mike softly on the lips.

"This is serious, Caroline," Mike said, pulling back.

"Well, then maybe you should follow me home, and come in with me for awhile," Caroline said, seductively, pulling Mike in for a deeper kiss.

He started to resist, wanting Caroline to understand this was serious, but she was a very good kisser and he quickly let himself get lost in kissing her. Caroline pressed herself close to him, and Mike tightened his hold on her.

"I should definitely follow you home and stay awhile," Mike said huskily, when they pulled apart.

Caroline giggled and got in the car when Mike opened the door for her.

Mike leaned in and kissed her again, before closing the door and heading over to his truck so he could follow her home.

E

"Who's covering for Gage?" Chet asked, walking into the locker room and seeing Roy changing into his uniform.

"No one. Ainsley's still in the hospital and her parents are in town. Ainsley insisted Johnny keep working while they were here so he could schedule his vacation and be there to help when her parents had to leave. He said she figured that would be the least disruptive for the station and for me."

"I can't believe with everything she's been through, she's being that logical," Marco said, buttoning up his shirt.

Roy smiled. "I'm not sure it has as much to do with logic as it does Johnny is totally freaked out about what happened and Ainsley needs a break from him."

Marco laughed, "Yeah, Gage certainly can be intense."

"Intense," Chet said, his voice filled with disbelief. "I'm surprised Johnny hasn't tried to get the California National Guard stationed outside Ainsley's hospital room."

"I did not try to get the National Guard to stand outside Ainsley's hospital room," Johnny said, walking in to the locker room and catching the end of the conversation.

"Just the house, right," Roy said, with a smirk.

"Haha," Johnny said, dryly. "I'm glad you guys think this is funny, my wife and daughter were almost killed."

"Johnny, you know we're just teasing, and we do take what happened seriously," Roy said, realizing his partner was actually irritated.

"Yeah, right," Johnny said, opening his locker and starting to change.

The guys finished changing into their uniforms without any further chit chat. Roy knew that Johnny just needed some time to cool off, he had to be tired; he'd been spending every free minute at the hospital taking care of Ainsley.

The men lined up for roll call, some tension still hanging in the air from the conversation in the locker room. Captain Stanley went through the list of chores and made assignments to the men. He paused at the end of the chore assignments and daily announcements.

"I know we are all aware that we have a new addition to the Station 51 A shift family. Grace Elizabeth Gage joined us two-days ago, in a very dramatic way. But, I just wanted to take a moment to make sure we paused and celebrated this miraculous event. Johnny Gage, has a little girl. I hope I'm around to see how he handles it when she starts dating," Captain Stanley smiled.

"Thanks, Cap, like I don't already have enough to worry about," Johnny said, but he cracked his trademark crooked grin.

"How long you think it'll take her to wrap Johnny around her little finger?" Chet asked.

"She's already done it," Roy said. "I was at the hospital yesterday, she made a cooing sound and Johnny was jumping up to check on her."

"What can I say, I've got a thing for beautiful women," Johnny shrugged.

"Beth can't wait to get her hands on little Grace," Captain Stanley said.

"Why didn't she come up to the hospital? Joanne was there about three seconds after Johnny gave us the word she could have visitors."

"We wanted to give them some space and not crowd her."

"I figured I'd stop by once they were home," Chet said. "I picked Grace up a little gift, but don't want you to have to transport it back from the hospital."

"Chet, you softy," Johnny teased.

"Hey, I've got a thing for beautiful women too."

The guys laughed.

"Let's get started on some of these chores before…," Captain Stanley was interrupted by the sound of the klaxons.

"Station 51, school fire alarm, 11020 Clover Avenue, cross street National Boulevard. Time out, 8:35."

"That's the kids school," Roy said, moving quickly toward the squad, Johnny right behind him. Chet and Marco threw on their turnouts and jumped onto the engine. Mike opened the bay doors on his way to the engine. He slipped on his coat, securing the helmet to his head as Captain Stanley wrote down the address and acknowledged the call. The crew was pulling out of the station less than a minute after the alarm sounded.

"You don't think this guy went after my kids do you?" Roy asked Johnny, while he concentrated on moving the squad through the heavy morning traffic.

"I don't know," Johnny answered honestly. "He already targeted Ainsley, I don't think this guy is playing any games."

Roy pressed his foot down a little harder on the gas pedal. Mike easily kept up with him.

"You know this guy better than anyone, Mike. Do you think he's targeting the DeSoto kids?" Captain Stanley asked, his eyes scanning traffic, just as Mike was, to make sure they did not have an accident on the way to their destination.

"I think it's more likely he's goin' after Meg," Mike said. "He went after Ainsley because he thought she was my wife. I was with Meg the day he attacked Ainsley. If he saw me with Meg, it wouldn't be hard for him to realize she's important to me and to follow her."

Captain Stanley looked over at the tone in Mike's voice. "How important is she to you, Mike?"

Mike didn't dare take his eyes off the road even for a second to look at his Captain. "She's just a friend, Cap. But, he's not gonna know that."

Captain Stanley cocked an eyebrow, but said nothing. They were nearing the school, but they did not see any smoke. The kids were still pouring out of the building, following colored flags to specified meeting locations.

Roy pulled the squad into the parking lot and into the agreed upon area to not be in the way of the engines that may need to spray water, but close enough they could easily access their equipment to treat injuries. The fire department ran several drills every year to make sure they were ready in case there was ever an emergency. After the attack Tim mounted on the school going after Ainsley and the DeSoto kids, they had increased the drills by two per year and while always serious there was now an extra edge in their training. The men were ready to handle whatever challenge they faced.

"There's Jenny," Johnny pointed out Roy's youngest daughter, knowing he'd be worried about the kids.

Roy turned to look as two squad cars pulled into the school parking lot and saw Kate pull in behind them. "Will you grab Jenny and take her over to Kate; see if she can sit with the police? I'm gonna find Chris."

Johnny moved toward Jenny, as Roy walked over in the direction of the 5th kids lining up on the far side of the school.

Captain Stanley jumped down from the engine and began moving toward Principal Haggerty.

Mike jumped down and moved to the side of the engine in case they needed to pull lines. He was scanning the teachers standing at the front of lines of kids holding colored flags. He wished he knew what color Meg's flag was, it would make spotting her easier.

"Whatta we got?" Captain Stanly asked, walking up to Principal Haggerty.

"A 5th grader with a disciplinary problem," he replied. "He confessed to pulling the fire alarm because he doesn't want to come back to school. The rate he's going that won't be a problem." Principal Haggerty said, pointing out a very sullen looking young boy several feet away standing with the Assistant Principal.

"I'm still gonna have my men check the school," Captain Stanley advised him.

"Per protocol," Principal Haggerty nodded in agreement.

"Kelly, Lopez, take the east side of the school," Captain Stanley called out, his gaze sweeping the area looking for his two paramedics. He saw them putting Roy's kids into the back of Kate's car. "Gage, DeSoto."

Johhy and Roy quickly moved toward their Captain.

"This does not appear to be an act of aggression, as much as the act of an unhappy kid. Check the west side of the school to be safe."

Johnny and Roy nodded and moved toward the school.

"Poor kid. Principal Haggerty's going to ensure he spends the next three days on suspension."

Mike turned at the soft voice. "Meg," he smiled at her. "I was looking for you."

"I got assigned the duty of calling Jake's parents," Meg looked unhappy.

"You can't have kids pulling fake alarms. Right now, if there are other emergencies units farther than ours have to respond wasting precious minutes," Mike said, glad the Principal was taking this seriously.

"I know, Mike; and I'm not trying to justify his behavior. But, I wish he would take just a couple of minutes to find out why the boy didn't want to be at school so bad. Does he just want to be home goofing off, or is he being teased? Look at him, on the skinny side, shorter than the rest of the boys, hair messed up, glasses; I worry that the other boys were being mean to him and that is why he did this; but Principal Haggerty won't even let me talk to him."

Mike looked over at the kid and then looked over at Meg. "Maybe we can be of some help with that."

Meg looked at him.

"Hey, Cap," Mike called out. When Captain Stanley joined them Mike leaned in close and explained what Meg had just told him.

Captain Stanley looked at Meg. "Come with me."

Mike moved over to the Principal. "Captain Stanley wants a word with the boy. He figures he'll take this a lot more seriously if we talk to him, than someone he interacts with regularly," Mike told the Principal. Principal Haggerty nodded, knowing arguing with Mike wasn't going to get him anywhere.

When they walked up to the boy, Meg made the introductions. "Jerry Johnson, this is Captain Hank Stanley."

"Jerry, I wanted to talk to you about what happened," Captain Stanley said, kneeling down to get to the boy's eye level.

"I'll never do it again, I swear," Jerry looked like he was on the verge of crying.

"That's good, because we can't be out there helping people who really need it, if we are here checking for a fire that never existed. But, I'm curious as to why you pulled the fire alarm?"

"Just 'cause," Jerry said, scuffing the toe of his tennis shoes against the cement. Hank noted they were not new tennis shoes like most of the kids wore on the first day of school. Jerry's clothes were clean, but certainly not new.

"Did you want to be home watching TV?"

"Nah, nothin' like that," Jerry said.

"Were some of the other boys being mean to you?" Captain Stanley asked.

Jerry looked at him and then over at Meg, but said nothing.

"I used to get picked on at school," Hank said.

"You?" Jerry look stunned. "How come?"

Hank shrugged. "I was a lot taller than the other kids, and kinda skinny. It wasn't a lot of fun."

"Whatdya do?"

"I starting playing basketball where being tall was a good thing. I made some friends on the team and pretty soon the other kids left me alone because I had other friends around me and they didn't want to start anything with a group of kids."

"I'm not any good at basketball," Jerry said, scuffing his shoes again.

"You gotta find your own thing your good at," Hank said.

"I'm not good at nothin'."

"I'll bet that's not true."

"You're really good at kickball," Meg interjected. "I remember watching you at the end of last year; you've got a great kick. You sent that ball all the way down the field."

"Yeah, but we don't play kickball until the Spring," Jerry said.

"Well, maybe not in gym, but we can play it any time at recess. When you come back to school, I'll get a ball you can take out to the playground with you.," Meg promised.

"What if no one wants to play with me?"

"Lots of kids like to play kickball; you'll have friends playing in no time," Captain Stanley said. "Then, later next week we're coming back for a school assembly. You can be the first one to climb up in the engine; IF, you promise me, no more false alarms."

Jerry smiled at Captain Stanley, "I promise! Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye," Jerry said, crossing his heart with his finger.

Hank looked up at Meg.

"A very serious promise," Meg explained.

"Okay, then," Hank stood up and ruffled Jerry's hair. He and Meg walked back toward the engine. "You're a good teacher, Meg."

Meg blushed. "It's all I ever wanted to be. That and a wife and mother," Meg looked wistfully over at Mike.

Hank put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You're a beautiful lady, I'm sure you'll find someone special." Hank left her to head toward Chet and Marco, who were just exiting the school.

Meg looked back over at Mike, but his attention was on Johnny and Roy, who had just exited as well. Meg walked back over toward her students. Mike had made his decision, and he'd chosen Caroline.

Meg felt a wave of anger wash over her. Caroline has swooped in and snatched Mike when she'd been taking care of her dying dad. Why had she given up so easily? What she and Mike had shared had been special and just because Caroline was dating him didn't mean that she couldn't try to get him back.

Meg looked back over at Mike. He was a guy worth fighting for, and she was done just letting this Caroline woman think she could have whatever she wanted. If Caroline wanted Mike, she'd better be prepared to fight for him.


	10. Chapter 10

Caroline moved over to the check-out counter in the library to help some college students with their materials. She smiled and quickly looked up their information, helping them check-out. They continued to stand at the counter, looking at the television screen behind her. Caroline turned to see what was so interesting. A fire engine, and several police cars were on the screen in the parking lot of an elementary school. Caroline watched as the camera panned the fire engine and smiled when she saw a fireman's jacket with the name "Stoker" on the back. "That's my boyfriend," she said to her co-worker, who had walked up to join them.

She frowned when the camera moved slightly and picked up an attractive woman talking to Mike. "Megan," Caroline whispered, watching Mike talk to the attractive woman on the screen.

"I wonder why all the police cars are there?" Caroline's co-worked asked. "It's just some kid pulling a fire alarm." The tickertape at the bottom of the screen was talking about a false alarm by an unnamed 5th grader.

Caroline watched the screen knowing the police had thought it was a whole lot more than a kid acting out. She hated that it would be almost 24-hours before she could talk to Mike about this. She knew he hadn't sought Megan out, but he didn't seem to mind talking to her either. Caroline watched as he moved with Megan to talk with his Captain on the side of the screen as the camera moved to focus on the Principal, who was about to answer questions from the reporter.

E

"Thanks for agreeing to have lunch in Ainsley's hospital room," Johnny said, as he balanced his food tray and pushed the elevator button to go to Ainsley's room.

"Of course. Besides, I'm looking forward to seeing my goddaughter."

Johnny pushed open the door to see Ainsley's mom holding Grace as Ainsley walked slowly across the room. "Hey, Beautiful, how ya feeling?" Johnny asked, giving Ainsley a quick kiss on the cheek before moving to set down his tray.

"Going stir-crazy. I want to go home and Dr. Collier is trying to tell me two more days. Two more days, Johnny, I'll Hodie. You've got to get Dr. Brackett to talk to him."

Johnny looked over at Roy, who'd set down his tray and was taking a bite of his burger.

"Um, Ainsley, we were just with Dr. Brackett downstairs. He said two days too."

"Ooooh, come on! I'm fine. I'm not bleeding any more, my strength is coming back. I'll have you at home with me; you can take care of me."

"I'm not going to override a doctor, Ainsley. I'm not even going to ask them to change their mind. They know what's best for you."

Ainsley sighed and climbed back into bed. "Well at least I got to watch you on TV."

"Whatdya mean?" Roy asked.

"They showed the station at the elementary school this morning. The camera crew caught Mike and I saw Meg. I think I saw you guys heading into the school, but the camera was at a distance and I couldn't clearly read the names on your turnouts."

"It was all very exciting," Aina said. "I'm gonna run downstairs for a coffee while you're here."

"Where did Jackson take Hunter today?" Johnny asked, taking Grace from Aina.

"They were going to look at swing sets," Aina said.

"We talked about this," Johnny said. Jackson had mentioned wanting to buy Hunter an elaborate swing set when they first arrived. Johnny had been emphatic it wasn't necessary with the park right behind their house.

"You know Jackson," Aina smiled, and headed out of the room.

"Ainsley," Johnny started.

"Don't look at me. You know I can't control my father."

"Eat, Junior," Roy said. "There's no telling how long we've got before another call comes in."

Johnny picked up his burger and took a large bite with one hand, while cradling Grace in his other arm. He knew he wasn't gonna win this battle either. He just couldn't help feel like part of this gift was because Jackson didn't think he could afford to give his kids a swing set.

"Here, hand me our daughter so you can eat your lunch. And stop thinking that this is somehow a slight against you. Dad likes to buy gifts for his loved ones. It's what he does."

"We don't need a swing set. The park is right behind our house."

"And with a new baby, and the other stuff going on; I like the idea of being able to have Hunter in our backyard with Chief by his side."

Johnny swallowed his last bite of burger, leaned over and kissed Ainsley on the forehead. "I can help him set it up."

Ainsley tilted her head so Johnny could drop a kiss on her lips. "I love you my husband."

"I love you my wife."

"I'd love to get my hands on that baby girl," Roy said, dumping the remains of his lunch in the trash can. Ainsley smiled as Roy moved toward the bed to take Grace.

Roy picked up the sleeping little girl and walked toward the windows, giving Johnny and Ainsley a moment of privacy. "Don't worry, Grace, you can always escape to my house when your parents drive you crazy," Roy whispered to the baby.

E

Mike bolted upright at the sound of the klaxons. He swung his legs over the side of his bed, slipping his feet into his boots and standing up to pull on his bunkers. He slipped the suspender straps over his shoulders and began to move toward the engine. He hadn't looked around, but he knew the other guys were only steps behind him.

"Station 51, house fire, 298 Jean Ct., cross street Palmer. Time out, 3:56."

Flashing red lights broke the dark sky as the engine pulled onto the street, followed by the squad. Mike turned onto the court and scanned the area. There was a fire hydrant directly across from the house. Mike pulled the engine up near the hydrant and dropped down to hook up the lines. Mike looked at the small shed set up in the yard behind him, probably being used as a kid's playhouse. Pretty cool, Mike thought.

"Kelly, Lopez, pull a 2 ½ and start wetting down that front porch," Captain Stanley called out. He moved toward the crowd of neighbors gathering around. "Can anyone tell me if the homeowners are in there?"

People just looked around, no one answering.

"Does anyone know if anyone is in that house?" Captain Stanley asked more forcefully.

"The house was vacant until a few days ago. No one's met the new people yet," one of the women said.

"Gage, DeSoto, get ready, you're gonna have to go in!"

"Cap," Mike called out. "Ready"

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I need you to move back please. Across the street and down the block." Captain Stanley helped move people back away from the burning home. Small sparks of fire were being carried by the wind and he didn't want any minor burns.

Chet and Marco turned on the water and moved toward the house. They doused the small flames burning on the porch and approached the door. Marco kicked the lock and went to move forward, only to stop when the door didn't open. He kicked it again and saw that the lock had broken, but the door wasn't swinging open. Marco moved and pressed his shoulder against the door, trying to push it open. It appeared there were boxes blocking the door.

"We've got to find another way in," Marco yelled through his face mask.

Johnny turned and motioned for Mike.

Mike moved to the end of the engine, grabbed the axe and jogged toward the house. A loud thundering sound shook the ground, knocking him off his feet. Johnny fell against the stair rail and Roy staggered down a couple of stairs, grabbing onto the rail to stay upright. Chet and Marco were knocked against the house, the hose pulling them as it was rocked when the engine was shaken by the explosion.

The sounds of screaming reached their ears, as the guys realized the neighbors were screaming. Johnny looked and saw Captain Stanley pulling a robe off one of the gawkers, as it began to burn from ignited debris. Captain Stanley dropped it on the ground and stamped out the flames with his boot.

"Johnny!"

Johnny looked to see Roy moving toward Mike, who lay on the ground, not moving. Mike's hand was still gripping the axe, but his turnout was smoking and several pieces of wood burned nearby. Johnny quickly began to move to get to Mike. Marco tried to get water to the hose, but nothing came.

"Cap," Marco called out and held up the dead line.

Captain Stanley hurried over to the engine, to see if he could get water running through the lines. As he rounded the engine he stopped in his tracks. The engine was black, several gauge covers broken, and bits of wood actually embedded into the metal.

"LA, Station 51. We've had an explosion at our location that has disabled our engine. I need another engine and squad sent to this location. We have a Code-I and multiple minor injuries." Captain Stanley moved back around the engine and signaled for Chet and Marco to move away from the house.

He moved over to where Roy and Johnny were bent down looking at Mike. "How is he?"

"Unconscious," Johnny said, getting up and moving to the squad to get their equipment.

Roy carefully removed Mike's helmet and looked for bleeding. He did not see any obvious lacerations or bumps. His skilled hands moved down to start unfastening Mike's turnout. He stopped when Mike moaned.

"Easy, Mike. Don't move," Roy advised him.

Mike continued to try to get up.

"Mike, stay down."

"Gotta get water to the guys," Mike mumbled.

"The engines damaged, man. You're not getting any water out of her tonight. Just stay down, you've been hurt," Captain Stanley ordered.

"I feel like I've been hit by a bus," Mike moaned slightly.

"You kinda have been. That was a pretty big explosion. It's a good thing you were bringing us…," Roy stopped and looked at Captain Stanley. "You'd have been killed, if you hadn't been bringing us that axe."

Captain Stanley stepped back. He lifted the handi-talkie, "LA, dispatch the LAPD to our location. And notify Detective Kate Stryker, that we just had an attempt on Mike Stoker's life."

E

"Mike, stop fidgeting," Dixie ordered.

"I don't like hospitals," Mike said.

"I've yet to meet a fireman who does," Dixie smiled. "Now stop fidgeting and let me change your IV."

"I'm fine, Dixie. I just want to get back to work."

"You're not fine, you were unconscious for over a minute. And you're not going back to work today."

"Johnny gets sent back all the time," Mike protested.

"Johnny gets bumps and bruises, not knocked unconscious by the concussive force of an explosion meant to kill him."

Mike just looked at her.

"You can save those gorgeous blue eyes for your girlfriend, Mike. I'm immune to them. You're not going to change my mind. And even if you could, those pretty eyes aren't going to work on Dr. Brackett." Dixie said, when Mike continued to look at her.

Mike blew out a frustrated breath and leaned back on the gurney.

"If it makes you feel any better, Dr. Brackett might let you go home. If you can stay with someone."

"He can stay at my house," Roy said, entering the room. "I'll call Joanne and have her come get him."

Johnny and Dr. Brackett walked in behind him.

Mike shook his head. "I'm not putting your family in that kind of danger. This guy just tried to kill me. I'm not risking him coming to your house."

"There will be patrols in the area," Roy said.

Mike shook his head.

"Well, then you can just stay here," Dr. Brackett said.

"Ugh," Mike moaned, and closed his eyes.

"I'll stay with him," a female voice said.

Everyone turned to see Caroline standing at the door of the treatment room.

"Caroline, how'd you know I was here?" Mike asked.

"The news said a fireman was hurt at a fire. The picture showed Engine 51. With everything going on, I just had to check."

Caroline moved over to the edge of the bed and rested her hand on Mike's arm. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Mild concussion," Dr. Brackett said, looking Caroline over. Pretty girl, he thought.

"I can stay at your place and take care of you."

"It's too risky," Mike said.

There was a knock at the door, everyone turned as Kate pushed open the treatment room door. "Sorry to interrupt, is now an okay time to come in?"

"Sure, Kate, come in," Mike said.

"Actually, if everyone doesn't mind. I'd like just a few minutes alone with Mike, Johnny and Roy," Kate said, making sure her gaze encompassed Caroline, Dr. Brackett and Dixie.

"Sure," Dixie said. Dr. Brackett moved and opened the door. Caroline hesitated, not wanting to leave Mike.

"It's okay," Mike said, taking Caroline's hand and removing it from his arm. He pressed it briefly to his lips. "I'll see you in just a few minutes."

Kate waited until the three of them had left the room. "Mike, I'm glad you're okay. I saw the engine at the scene," Kate shook her head. "It was really bad."

Mike closed his eyes for a minute. "I hope Kevin rots in jail the rest of his life for this."

"Unfortunately, that is where my news gets worse," Kate said.

"Whatdya mean?" Roy asked.

"We've had Kevin under surveillance, 24 hours a day since he left the police station. He never went anywhere near the scene of the fire."

"Are you kidding me?" Johnny said.

"I wish I was," Kate said.

"Well isn't it possible he planted it before you called him in?" Mike asked.

"Preliminary reports indicate the bomb had a timer that could not have been activated more than 12 hours ago. The bomb squad is still investigating, but we need to consider the possibility that Kevin was not our bomber."

Everyone was silent as Kate's news sunk in.

"Now what?" Roy asked.

"Now, I start expanding my circle of people I'm looking into, something I've been keeping open all along; I just really thought Kevin was going to pan out. He seems like an obvious choice, but in reality, the obvious suspect, is usually the guilty culprit. But, I learned a lot from my investigation with you all before when so much pointed toward Ainsley. I've learned to keep my eyes open for people you wouldn't normally suspect."

"Who are you looking at Kate?" Johnny asked.

Kate looked over at Johnny and then briefly glanced at Mike.

"You're looking at Caroline," Mike said, making the connection to Kate asking Caroline to leave the room and this conversation.

"Among others," Kate said cryptically.

"Who else?"

"Mike, you don't need to be concerned about who all we're looking at. Go about your life as normally as possible. Be aware of your surroundings, but don't let suspicion over take your daily life," Kate warned.

"Who else, Kate?" Mike pushed.

"Mike, we're looking at anyone that came into your life in the last few months. That may want to control you in some way, or feel slighted or resentful in anyway," Kate hedged.

"Meg, you can't seriously be looking at Meg?"

"Yes, Mike, I'm gonna look at the girl you just dumped. A woman scorned can be a dangerous opponent."

"I didn't dump Meg. In fact, she technically dumped me. She told me not to wait for her, that she needed to concentrate on her dad."

"Yet, she called you as soon as she got back into town, and you had already started seeing someone else. She's on the list of people I'm looking into."

"Well, what have you found out so far?"

"Mike, I'm not going to discuss that with you. If I have any questions for you, or need clarification on something, I'll ask you. But, I'm not going to give you details of my investigation when you're dating one of the people I'm looking at."

Mike looked over at Johnny.

"Kate, if there's any chance that Caroline is behind this, Mike needs to know. She just offered to stay with him tonight, so he can go home from the hospital."

"I don't have anything to make me say Mike is not completely safe with Caroline. I've just started preliminary background checks, but nothing has come up for her. She doesn't have any previous arrests, a speeding ticket a few months ago in San Pedro, and that's it."

"So you think it would be okay for her to stay at my place tonight, or is that not safe?"

"You can pretty much expect an increase in police presence around you. I'll have a unit in your parking lot tonight, if you go home and I'll have them do an in-person check a few times just to make everyone feel comfortable. But, I have no reason to be concerned about Caroline staying with you. Although, Dr. Brackett may have restrictions," Kate winked.

Johnny and Roy both laughed.

E

"How's that?" Caroline asked, as she tacked a dark blanket over Mike's shaded bedroom window to darken Mike's room. The sun had been up before they had left the hospital and the bright light was making Mike's head throb.

"Better," Mike said quietly.

"Can I make you some breakfast?"

"I really just wanna get some sleep," Mike said.

"You really should eat something first, Mike. At least let me make you some toast," Caroline said, on her way out of the bedroom, already heading toward the kitchen.

Mike let his eyes close while he waited for Caroline to come back.

He jolted slightly when he felt a hand on his face. He opened his eyes to see Caroline sitting on the edge of the bed, a plate with toast slathered in peanut butter, and a banana on her lap. A large glass of milk on the bedside table.

"Thanks," Mike said.

Caroline moved the plate to Mike's lap and stood up, walking around the room. "I saw you on the news yesterday morning," Caroline said, trying to sound casual.

"You did? At the elementary school?"

"Yes, you were standing by the engine, talking to Meg," Caroline turned to look at Mike, leaning back against his dresser.

Mike sat down the piece of toast back onto the plate. "Caroline, I didn't seek her out. We were called out to the fire at the elementary school. Meg came over to tell me it was a 5th grade boy she was worried was being bullied. I was able to get Captain Stanley to talk to him and hopefully it helped."

"Mike, I don't want to be "that" girl. The one that's jealous of every other girl you talk to, but I don't know how to do this."

"Do what?"

"Date," Caroline said. "I haven't had a lot of relationships, and the ones I've had, have primarily long distance. We moved a lot when I was a kid, so I'd meet someone and it wouldn't be long and we'd move. A few guys tried to keep the relationship going, but it was too hard. They usually ended up cheating on me."

"I'm sorry, Caroline. I assure you, I'm not gonna cheat on you."

"I really like you, Mike. You're not like any guy I've ever met. You're so kind, and giving. You're always doing things for other people. I'm not really good enough for you."

"Caroline, you're amazing. Your beautiful, and fun," Mike stretched out his hand and Caroline moved back to sit on the edge of the bed, taking his hand. "Look how good a job you're doing takin' care of me."

"I like taking care of you," Caroline whispered.

Mike leaned forward and kissed Caroline on the lips.

She eagerly kissed him back, leaning into him.

Mike moaned slightly.

"Oh, sorry," Caroline said.

"I'm just a little bruised. I can take a little pain," Mike smiled.

"Good to know," Caroline smiled, and gently leaned in for another kiss.


	11. Chapter 11

Caroline turned her head and looked at the clock, ten minutes. Mike had been reluctant to take the muscle relaxers that Dr. Brackett had ordered, but Caroline had finally talked him into it. Johnny had told them that Ainsley and the baby would be coming home the day before their next shift and everyone was going to be at the house for a surprise welcome home party. Caroline had convinced him that taking the muscle relaxers would help him heal so he was up for the party. Mike had been gently snoring for the last ten minutes.

Caroline slipped out of bed and out of the bedroom. She gently closed the door. She turned around and headed into the bathroom. She felt the adrenaline start coursing through her veins. Mike was just too good, she thought. No one was as selfless as he was, volunteering his free time to help his friends, staying friendly with ex-girlfriends, helping out old ladies he didn't even know. Caroline shook her head. Experience had taught her with men the more they tried to appear good on the outside, the darker their secrets were. Caroline opened the medicine cabinet and scanned the contents. Aspirin, Band-Aids, toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, shaving cream; no prescription medications, nothing indicating what Mike could possibly be hiding.

Caroline slipped out of the bathroom and headed toward the living room. She opened up the closet near the front door. A few coats hung next to skis, a tennis racket, bowling ball, basketball, several baseball bats, balls, Frisbees. Mike obviously loved all sports. Caroline closed the closet and moved to the next spot. After almost an hour, she plopped down on the couch. "Nothing," she said out loud. How was that even possible. His bills were organized, he filed his receipts. He hadn't purchased anything even remotely scandalous. He didn't use credit cards, he stayed within his budget, and he had money in savings. According to his phone bill he called a number registered to Charles Stoker every week, she was guessing those were his parents.

She turned to the sound of someone knocking at the door. Probably the police officer again, she thought. They had been escorted home by a patrol officer and one had already knocked on the door checking to make sure everything was okay once. It hadn't been hard to figure out that the police must suspect her as doing these things to Mike. Otherwise there would not have been any reason to knock on the door, they'd have just kept a car in the parking lot.

Caroline got up from the couch and walked to the door. "He's still sleeping, Officer," Caroline said, as she opened the door. "Oh, sorry, Kate, isn't it?"

"Yes, Detective Kate Stryker."

"Mike's still sleeping. The doctor gave him muscle relaxers to help with the pain and stiffness.

"Actually, Caroline, I came to talk to you. "

"Come in," Caroline said, opening the door wider.

Kate stepped in and glanced around.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" Caroline asked.

"No, no thanks. I just need to ask you a few questions," Kate said.

"Like where was I yesterday, or last night?"

Kate just looked at Caroline.

"I'm not an idiot. I know the reason the police officer is coming to the door is because you have a reason to think I'd do something like this to Mike. I thought that guy, what was his name, that Mike helped put in jail was behind these attacks on Mike?"

"He was our prime suspect, but we now have reason to suspect he could not have been behind this most recent attack."

Caroline looked at Kate. "So, I'm the next most reasonable suspect?"

"We're looking at everyone?"

"I was at work yesterday until 5:00 PM, then I stopped at the grocery store and got gas. I went home, ate dinner, watched a little TV and went to bed early."

"Can anyone verify that?"

"A lot of people saw me at work. I don't know if anyone would remember me at the grocery store or gas station.

"You didn't go out after you went home?"

Caroline shook her head. "Just the hospital this morning, when I saw the news about the fire."

"Do you always watch the news in the morning?"

"Sometimes. I woke up a little early, so had a little extra time. When that happens I usually will watch a little TV. I'm usually barely getting out of the door on time," Caroline chuckled.

"Can you think of anyone that would want to hurt Mike?"

"Who'd want to hurt, Mike? He's a handsome Ward Clever."

"Ward Clever?"

"You know, from the TV show, Leave It to Beaver. He's always polite, sweet, helpful."

"Those are good qualities," Kate said, thinking that Caroline's tone sounded a little snide.

"I know. I'm just saying, people don't want to hurt people with those qualities. Thinking that someone would is ridiculous."

"An explosion that was strong enough to embed wood into metal is pretty serious," Kate said.

"I'm not trying to say this isn't serious. I'm sorry if it comes off that way," Caroline apologized. "I just have trouble believing anyone would want to hurt Mike. I mean, I could get it if it was the man Mike had put in jail, but why would anyone else want to hurt him."

"That's what I'm gonna find out," Kate said, moving toward the door. "If you think of anything, call the station and they'll get in touch with me."

"I will," Caroline said, moving toward the door. She closed the door as Kate left.

Caroline wandered back down the hall and laid back down next to Mike. That was where he found her when he woke up a few hours later.

E

"I can't wait to get home," Ainsley said, as Johnny pushed the wheelchair carrying her and Grace to the Rover. Dixie walked along beside of them.

"Make sure you get lots of rest," Dixie cautioned. "You still have a lot of healing to do."

"I'll take care of her," Johnny assured her.

"I know you will," Dixie patted Johnny's arm. Johnny took Grace while Ainsley got into the Rover, then he secured Grace in her car seat. He closed both doors and moved behind the Rover with Dixie.

"You guys stopping by later?"

"Kel, Joe and I all get off in a couple of hours, we're coming straight over."

"See ya then," Johnny said, moving to get into the driver's seat.

"Ready?" Johnny glanced back at Grace and over at Ainsley, to ensure her seat belt was on.

"Ready," Ainsley smiled.

E

Mike pulled up to the curb in front of the Gage home. "Hey, Roy," he called out his window. "Are we hiding our vehicles?"

"Just park down at my house. Johnny's gonna come through the other end of the subdivision."

Mike nodded and turned his car around in the next driveway to go park by Roy's house.

"Do you think this is such a good idea?" Caroline asked.

"Johnny'll keep Ainsley distracted so she doesn't notice the cars."

"I meant being here when she first gets home. She just went through a pretty traumatic event, had a baby and spent several days in the hospital. She's not gonna want to entertain guests."

Mike laughed. "If Ainsley doesn't want to entertain us, she'll just tell us. Or she'll go lay down."

Caroline wasn't so sure, but she followed Mike down to the Gage home after he parked the truck.

Mike saw Meg walk out of the Gage home and into the backyard as he and Caroline walked up the driveway.

"What's she doing here?" Caroline whispered.

Mike shrugged. "She and Ainsley are friends."

"Did you know she was gonna be here?"

Mike looked at her. "No. I never even thought about it being more than just the guys from the station."

Caroline looked skeptical.

"Caroline," Mike went to say more, but Roy walked out of the house and called out to them.

"Mike, Caroline, good to see you."

Meg turned and looked at them.

She avoided coming near them and instead headed back into the house.

"Aina, is there anything else I can help with?" Meg said, going into the kitchen.

Aina looked over all the food on the counter. "I don't think we need any more food."

Meg smiled. "I don't know, Johnny's gonna be here too."

Aina laughed. "I have no idea how he stays so thin given how much he eats. I'd be as big as a house."

"Johnny's got a natural energy that probably burns a 1,000 calories an hour while sleeps. I don't know how Ainsley lives with him."

"They were made for each other."

Megan looked out the window into the back yard and watched as Caroline leaned against Mike as he spoke to some of the guys. "Yeah, they were."

Aina watched her gaze, but said nothing.

"I ran the vacuum over the living room one more time, just to be safe," Jackson said, coming into the kitchen.

"I think we need to work hard on getting Ainsley to sit in the living room with all of us at least at some point tonight."

"Agreed," Jackson leaned around his wife to steal a tomato off the vegetable tray. Aina slapped at his hand, but he popped the tomato into his mouth anyway. "Um, good."

"Take these out to the picnic table would ya," Aina said, handing him the whole tray. Jackson accepted it and stole another tomato on his way out the back door. "Jackson!"

Meg laughed. She could remember her parents together, they had been like Aina and Jackson and Ainsley and Johnny; that love you could see in their interactions with each other. She wanted that for herself one day. She might have found it with Mike had things not turned out the way they had. Meg reminder herself that she did not intend to give us so easy.

She picked up the tray of pigs in a blanket that Aina had just transferred from the cooking sheet to a platter. "I can take these out to everyone," Meg offered.

Aina watched her head out and go straight toward where Mike was standing.

Aina shook her head. It looked like they were in for a real life soap opera, right in the backyard today.

E

Johnny asked Ainsley to check the diaper bag and make sure they had packed the extra diapers the hospital provided just before they got ready to turn onto their street.

"Didn't you buy diapers for the house already?" Ainsley asked, looking over at him.

"Yeah, but we're gonna go through a lot of diapers and I don't want us to forget the free ones."

Ainsley's eyes narrowed. "What did you do?"

"Nothin'."

"John Roderick Gage, what am I about to walk into?" Ainsley turned to scan the street. She recognized all the cars parked down by Roy's house. "A surprise party? Really?"

"Not really a surprise party as much as a welcome home party. A lot of people stayed away from the hospital so you could recuperate. Everyone wants to see Grace and see for themselves that you're okay," Johnny defended himself.

Ainsley shook her head. She would have preferred they do this in a day or two, but she realized she probably wouldn't be feeling significantly better having a toddler and newborn to contend with. "As long as I don't have to fake surprise."

"You don't, see everyone is just in the backyard." Johnny pulled the car into the driveway and everyone turned to see them.

The guys were quickly moving toward the car. Captain Stanley rounded the passenger side and opened Ainsley's door. He offered her his arm to help her out of the car; he knew she'd still be pretty sore from having a C-section. Roy waited until Captain Stanley had moved her away from the car and then he ducked his head in the car to get Grace out of the car seat.

Johnny reached into the back and pulled out Ainsley's bag and the diaper bag. There were a few plants that had been delivered to the hospital and a few gifts. "Mike, Marco, can you guys grab that stuff for me," Johnny said, since Chet was busy running around the backyard chasing Hunter and being chased by Chief.

Caroline sighed as Mike moved away from her and Meg to help Johnny get the stuff out of the car.

Meg turned to look at her. "Would you like a pig in the blanket?"

Caroline looked at her, looked down at the platter and walked away. She moved over to the backdoor. "I'll hold the door for you," she said cheerily to Mike and Marco.

"I'll take one of those."

Meg jumped at the sound of a male voice behind her. She turned to find Chet standing behind her. Meg smiled and held the tray out.

"Eat," Hunter said, reaching out for the tray.

"Oh, not these, Hunter. Are you hungry?"

"Hungy," the little boy said, continuing to reach for the tray and grabbing on to Meg's leg.

"Would you mind taking these?" Meg asked Chet, handing him the tray.

"Sure."

Meg reached down and picked up Hunter. "Let's go find you some food."

Meg made it about three steps before Hunter saw Ainsley. "Mama, mama, mama!" Hunter lunged trying to get out of Meg's arms.

"Hold on, Hunter. I'll take you to see Mama. We're gonna let her go sit down on the couch and then you can sit with her," Meg said, moving closer to Ainsley, but not close enough that Hunter could reach her, or that Ainsley would be tempted to reach for him.

"Ainsley, go sit in the living room and I'll bring you Hunter. While you snuggle, I'll get him some stuff you can feed him," Meg said, so Aina could hear her as they walked into the house.

Aina quickly moved a few items to the dining room chairs so Ainsley couldn't easily sit down in the kitchen. Captain Stanley quickly figured out the plan and gently guided Ainsley toward the living room. She was so focused on Hunter calling for her, and wanting to hug her son, that she didn't even hesitate as she walked into the living room and moved for the couch. As soon as she sat down, Meg was bending over and gently placing Hunter next to her.

Any hope that Hunter would sit nicely next to his mother was quickly dashed as Hunter scrambled to climb up on her lap and lean against her. Ainsley sucked in a sharp breath, but wrapped her arms around her son. She adjusted his legs to get him situated in a way that was a bit more comfortable for her and dipped her head to kiss him. "I missed you my big boy."

"I wuv you," Hunter said, kissing his mom.

Hunter stopped and looked down at her belly. "No baby?" Hunter patted her flat stomach.

"There's the baby," Ainsley said, helping to turn Hunter to look at Johnny, who had taken Grace from Roy.

"Hunter, do you want to meet your baby sister?" Johnny asked, stepping into the living room and moving to sit down close to Ainsley.

Hunter looked at the baby, and then up at his daddy holding this thing he didn't quite understand.

"Maybe Hunter would like the gift that Grace brought him," Ainsley said, looking at her dad.

"Oh, yes, I've got it in the garage."

"Hunter, your baby sister brought you a very special present to thank you for being her big brother," Johnny said. "Do you want to go with Papa and I to see it?"

"Yes!" the little boy clapped his hands and bounced up and down.

"Ugh," Ainsley grimaced at the pain.

Jackson moved over and scooped Hunter off her lap. "C'mon, buddy, let's go see what your little sister bought you," Jackson put him on the ground and took his hand.

"Daddy, come," Hunter said, looking back at Johnny.

"Of course," Johnny said, handing Ainsley the baby.

Hunter looked back over at Ainsley and looked like he was going to protest his mom holding the baby; but Jackson saw the brewing problem. "C'mon, it looked like a really big present!"

Hunter's eyes got wide, "Big?"

"Huge!"

Hunter started pulling toward the kitchen to get to the living room.

Roy followed them outside so he could open the garage door. He, Jackson and Johnny had worked most of the day yesterday putting the swing set together in the garage. The would need all of them to carry it into the backyard, but Johnny wanted to make sure they dug holes to put the legs into and filled them with concrete to ensure the swing set would be stable as the kids got bigger and played harder. They figured Hunter could play some in the garage today and they could carry it out tonight when he went to bed. The cement should be dry by morning.

Johnny held Hunter back while Roy opened the garage door.

"Swing! Swing!" Hunter yelled as the garage door opened.

"Yes, just for you," Johnny said. "From your little sister, Grace," Johnny said, slowly enunciating the name Grace.

"Baby?"

"Yes, this is for you from the baby."

Hunter moved trying to get into the swing. Johnny moved over and picked him up strapping him into the bucket seat. He gave Hunter a small push. The guys took turns playing with Hunter on the swing set and eating food.

Ainsley sat on the couch as all the women filtered in carrying plates of food. Aina brought Ainsley a plate.

"Oh, I can hold Grace while you eat," Joanne offered.

Ainsley smiled, as she moved to come take her.

Ainsley looked around the room, Aina was talking quietly with Beth Stanley, Joanne was holding Grace and Meg was leaning in to get a better look at the baby. Caroline sat on the far end of the room, looking out the picture window.

"Caroline, it's nice you got a chance to come today," Ainsley said, trying to draw the young woman into the group.

"I'm learning that if I want to see Mike I have to be willing to share him with the all of you," Caroline tried to laugh and smile, but Ainsley heard a bit of an edge to her statement.

"It's not always like this," Ainsley assured her. "The guys work together in 24-hour shifts two or three times a week, most times they do their own thing on days off, but when things are tough, they close ranks and spend a lot more time together."

"You mean because of all the trouble Mike is having?" Caroline asked.

"Not just Mike," Beth said. "Ainsley and Johnny certainly had their fair share of troubles in all this."

"The guys will stay close looking out for each other until this guy is behind bars," Joanne said, none of the woman knowing that Kevin had been under observation and unable to set the last attack on Mike.

"You'd think this would make them want to keep their distance," Caroline said.

"Our men are the ones running into a building when everyone else is running out," Joanne said.

"They don't run from danger, they run toward it." Beth added.

"We don't do so bad either," Ainsley said. "I can't believe you got me back in this room without my even noticing."

"Doing okay?" Her mom asked.

Ainsley looked around at the women sitting in the room with her. "How could I not be. I've got a great group of friends."

"And a wonderful husband," Johnny said, entering the room.

"And a wonderful husband."

"Hunter wanted to say something to the baby," Johnny said, setting Hunter down.

The little boy walked over the Joanne, and she held the baby down so he could see her.

"Fank you, baby Gwace," Hunter said, leaning over to kiss the baby. "I wuv my pwesent."

Ainsley smiled over at Johnny. They had heard that sometimes the older sibling was jealous of the new baby. They had thought the best way to combat that would be to make the swing set from the baby so Hunter had a reason to like the baby right from the beginning.

"Gwace come swing?" Hunter asked.

"No, not just yet, buddy," Johnny said. It will be a little while before she can play with you on the swing set, but as she grows you can help teach her how to play on it," Johnny explained.

"Are you guys ready to introduce Chief to the baby?" Roy asked. "We've been keeping him outside, but now with all of you in the house, he really wants to come in."

Ainsley and Johnny looked at each other. "Chief did great with Hunter; I'm not expecting any problems," Johnny said.

"Go ahead and let him in, Roy."

"I'll step into the kitchen and condense some of the food," Meg said. "Make a little more room."

Meg moved into the kitchen as Chief raced past her to get into the living room. She reached over and moved the tray of pigs in the blanket to the counter. She moved to go get a smaller tray since there were not many left, but accidently bumped the larger tray. She quickly tried to grab it, but 3 h'orderves fell and landed in Chief's food bowl. Meg sighed, grabbed the smaller tray and moved the remaining items to the smaller tray. She leaned over and picked up the pigs in the blanket out of Chief's bowl and set them back on the large tray. She quickly condensed two other trays and turned back to throw the pigs in the blanket on the large tray in the garbage.

Caroline stood behind her, about to pop one in her mouth.

"Oh," Meg started to stop her.

"What, am I stealing these from you too?" Caroline gave her a smirk.

Meg felt her hand clench, but she said nothing. Instead, she forced herself to smile. "Help yourself."

Caroline popped the food in her mouth, grabbed the other two and headed back into the living room.

Meg followed behind, carrying a couple of trays of food into the living room, so people could continue to eat and talk.

She entered to see Chief near Ainsley, his head on her lap as she let him sniff the baby. Chief very gently licked the baby's fingers.

"I'd say he likes her," Johnny said, smiling at how well Chief was doing with Grace.

"Looks like we've got more guests," Roy said, getting up from the couch and moving toward the front door as Kel, Joe and Dixie started walking up the walk.

"Hey guys, c'mon in. There's still plenty of food, drinks are in the kitchen," Johnny welcomed the group.

"The only thing I want is that baby," Dixie said, moving over toward Grace.

Ainsley smiled and handed her the baby.

"Well, I want to see this big guy over here," Joe said, moving toward Hunter. "I've got you a gift."

"Anothew pwesent!" Hunter clapped his hands.

Joe handed him the wrapped box and Hunter immediately started to tear it open. Hunter looked at the plastic doctor bag, he opened it up and pulled out the toy stethoscope. "Like daddy," he said, struggling to put the toys in his ears.

"Like me," said Joe.

"Or me," said Kel.

"Like daddy," said Hunter.

"Give it up, boys, you're never gonna trump daddy," Dixie said, holding Grace.

"Who could trump this," Johnny said, stretching out his arms.

The gang laughed.

Everyone stayed for a couple more hours, until Kel pointed out that Ainsley really should get some rest. The women moved to finish cleaning up, while the guys moved outside to move the swing set into the backyard. Kel and Joe used a post-hole digger to quickly dig six holes in the ground for a swing set. The Station 51 guys each grabbed a post and carried the whole unit out of the garage and over to the back yard. They lined it up with the holes and set the unit in place. It didn't take long to mix the cement and pour it into the holes.

"It should be dry by the time Hunter gets up in the morning. Thanks, guys."

Caroline stood leaning against the back fence waiting for Mike to finish up. Mike wandered over to her. "Can we go now?" Caroline asked, leaning into Mike.

"Sure."

Caroline slipped her arm through Mike's and headed toward his truck. "The ladies said that one of the reasons the guys are spending so much time together right now is because of all the trouble you are having."

"Probably," Mike said.

"But, isn't that why Ainsley got hurt?" Caroline asked. "Because she was spending time with you?"

"I thought so," Mike said.

"But, now the police don't think this guy you put in jail did it," Caroline said.

"How did you know that?" Mike asked, looking at her.

"Detective Stryker stopped by your apartment while you were sleeping. She told me that he was under surveillance when the last bomb went off. So, you knew that too?"

"She told me in the hospital," Mike said, continuing to walk toward his truck.

"When were you going to tell me she suspected me?" Caroline asked.

"She suspects Meg too, it isn't personal."

"Why does she suspect Meg?"

"Because I broke up with her."

"And she's bitter," Carolind said. "Obviously she wants you back."

"She's never said that," Mike argued.

"Let's just leave it as a woman knows."

Mike looked over at Caroline and wondered if that was true.


	12. Chapter 12

Meg watched Caroline and Mike move toward his truck as she walked to her car. She really did not like Caroline and it was more than because she was dating Mike. There was just something about her that didn't sit right. Mike deserved better.

Meg got in her car, "Oh shoot!" She looked at the folder sitting on the front seat of the car with information on the assembly. She had meant to give it to Mike. She watched as Roy and Joanne started heading down to their house, holding hands, the kids running ahead of them. She could just give it to Roy. Meg thought about it for a few minutes; no, if she was serious about trying to win back Mike, she should drive over to his house and drop it off to him.

Meg started her car and drove toward Mike's apartment. She pulled into the parking lot a few minutes later, but wasn't surprised when Mike wasn't there yet. The question was, how long would he spend with Caroline before he came home.

E

Mike took Caroline's keys from her, and opened her door for her. Caroline slipped passed him and into the living room. Mike instinctively turned on the overhead light to try and brighten the room. Caroline kept heavy curtains over the window in the living room and with the dark Mediterranean furniture the room just felt very dark and depressing to Mike.

Caroline frowned, but said nothing. Instead she moved across the room, turned on a lava lamp on the table next to the couch. She walked back over to Mike and flipped off the light. She placed her hands on his chest and slowly slid them up his chest, over his shoulders and wrapped her arms around his neck. She threaded her fingers into his hair and pulled him into a kiss.

Mike had to admit, the woman knew how to kiss. He pulled her closer to him, turning to press her against the wall, letting his body pin her in place. Caroline slid her hands down his back, pressing her nails into him. Her hands slid down and cupped his buttocks pressing him closer to her. Mike couldn't help the moan that rose in his throat. He pulled back and gently tugged her toward the couch. Caroline didn't resist, in fact, when Mike sat down, instead of sitting next to him, she straddled him on the couch, and pressed her lips to his again.

Mike slipped his hands under her shirt and quickly pulled it over her head. Caroline unbuttoned his shirt and he quickly slipped it off. She slid her hands under this t-shirt and lifted it over his head. She gently ran her nails down his chest and torso, then circled his nipples until they hardened. She slipped her hands behind her back quickly undoing her bra, she slipped it off revealing her breasts. Caroline leaned forward pressing her naked chest against his and resumed their make-out session. Mike felt himself responding to the physical contact and Caroline maneuvered her body to increase the sensation he was feeling below the waist.

Mike slipped his arm around her waist and in one smooth motion, flipped her off of him and back onto the couch. He slipped his body on top of hers and she wrapped her legs around him. Mike let himself get lost in how amazing she felt. He seriously started considering taking things a step further when Caroline's phone started to ring. Mike didn't stop their kiss right away, but Caroline eased back. "I should get that."

Mike slipped off of her and watched her walk half-naked across the living room to pick up the phone. 'Hello."

Mike tried not to listen to her part of the conversation, but given the fact she had chosen to stand in a small glimmer of light that flowed into the living room from the kitchen window Mike couldn't help but stare at her as the light seemed to shine directly on her breasts. Caroline smiled, knowing Mike was staring at her. "Yes, I can help out. I could be there in like 20 minutes. No, it's fine; I know that stuff can't wait."

Mike frowned as Caroline hung up the phone. 'Why do I have a feeling our evening just ended."

"I'm sorry, Mike. That was work, they just got a shipment in from a library that had a flood. We need to unpack all the materials and see if anything can be dried out and salvaged. It's a big project." Caroline walked back over and resumed her straddle position, since Mike had sat up. "I know you work tomorrow, but I promise, I'll make it up to you the next night," Caroline slowly kissed Mike's top lip and then his bottom lip, when he leaned in for the kiss, she leaned back and smiled teasingly at him. She leaned back in and pulled him into a kiss, when he went to deepen it, she pulled away again.

"Ugh, woman, you drive me crazy," Mike moaned.

Caroline leaned in and quickly engaged him in a deep passionate kiss that quickly had Mike eager for more of her. She slid off of him, grabbing his hand and pulling him up off the couch. "Next time," she whispered. "I'll find something special to wear for you."

Mike adjusted his jeans. He tried not to let his frustration show because he knew what it was to need to leave for work. "If your leaving late, you have security walk you to your car," Mike cautioned.

"I love when you get all protective. Don't worry, we park right outside the library; I only have to walk a few feet to get to my car."

"You don't leave alone, Caroline, I'm serious."

Caroline kissed Mike and walked him to the door. He walked out to his car and turned to see that she was still standing in the door topless watching him. Mike shook his head, she had a bit of wild child in her. That wasn't his normal style, but he couldn't help being drawn to her.

E

Mike pulled into his parking lot and noticed Adam and his buddies outside again. Mike closed his eyes, he almost didn't want to park his truck. Mike got out, watching Adam and his friends. "Hey, Adam," Mike called out. "I'm assuming we are not going to have any problems here." Mike specifically looked at Ronnie.

"No, sir, Mr. Stoker. I promise," Adam said.

Ronnie said nothing.

"Mike!"

Mike turned to see Meg getting out of her car.

"Meg, what are you doing here?" Mike said, moving over toward her.

"I forgot to give you some information on the upcoming assembly," Meg said, carrying a folder. "There's just a few things I need to go over with you."

Mike looked over at the group of guys and toward his apartment. He knew Caroline would not be happy if he brought Meg to his apartment, but he didn't want to stand out in the parking lot with her with the teenagers standing around.

"C'mon up," Mike jerked his head gesturing toward his apartment.

Meg followed him.

Ronnie watched them walk in to the apartment. "I've gotta get goin'," he said.

"Look, man, Mike's cool, just don't mess with his stuff," Adam said.

"Whatever," Ronnie said, and wandered off down the street.

"Thanks for taking a few minutes," Meg said, when Mike opened the apartment door for her.

"Sure, what do I need to look at?"

Meg moved over to Mike's table and opened the folder. "Principal Haggerty just wanted to make sure we went over some logistics on where the engine and squad should park, and how the different groups of kids will flow."

Meg pulled out a few pictures and started going over details with Mike.

"Have a seat, Meg," Mike put his hand on hers when he saw her hand was shaking slightly.

Meg gave him a small smile.

"Why are you nervous?"

"I'm not," Meg protested, but Mike just smiled at her.

"We're friends, Meg. There's no reason to be nervous with me."

Meg looked over at the couch remembering their last evening together. She had sat on that couch telling Mike about her dad's diagnosis and that she had to leave to go take care of him. Mike had held her as she cried. Their last kiss had been standing at the door as she said good-bye.

"I wish I could go back and take back everything I said that night," Meg whispered. "I wish I had been selfish and asked you to wait for me."

Mike looked down at the floor, he remembered how hard it had been to have Meg said she was leaving to take care of her dad and they shouldn't keep seeing each other. She had been hoping she'd get a year with him, instead it had only been a couple of months. But, then his mind flashed toward his make-out session just an hour ago with Caroline.

"Meg," Mike said, not knowing what he was going to say.

"It's okay, Mike," Megan said, touching his arm. "This isn't your fault. This is my fault. You've been nothing but amazing and supportive and I am so grateful to you for helping with the assembly." Meg moved toward the door. "Keep the folder, share it with all the guys on shift tomorrow and let me know if you have any questions."

Mike moved over to open the door for her, still unsure what to say, but wishing he could say something. Caroline's thought that Meg still liked him swirling in his head. Meg turned to face him, her soft blue eyes meeting his. She gave him a gentle smile that brought out the dimple in her right cheek. Mike couldn't help but smile back, she had an adorable smile.

Meg stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. "I hope you're happy, Mike."

Meg opened the door and walked toward her car.

Mike stood at the door and watched until she got in her car and pulled out of the parking lot. He glanced over and saw Adam and a few friends still standing around, but no Ronnie. Mike looked back at his truck, and then closed the door.

E

"Detective Kate Stryker please."

"Kate, phone," the police officer across the room called out. "Line 2."

Kate picked up the phone. "Detective Stryker."

"Yeah, this is Ronnie. You told me to call if I thought of anything from the night I keyed that guys truck."

"Mike Stoker."

"Yeah, is the possibility of dropping the charges still on the table?"

"That depends on what you have for me," Kate said.

"The night I keyed his truck, I noticed a woman sitting in her car in the far corner of the lot, in the shadows. She appeared to be watching the apartments. I thought she was waiting for someone. I was watching her because I was waiting for her to leave before I keyed the truck. I saw her again tonight. She apparently knows Mike."

"Are you sure it was the same woman?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. She was definitely sitting in her car the night I keyed the car. I remember wondering what kind of idiot would leave such a pretty girl waiting on him. When she left I figured she just gave up waiting and I went to work on the truck. But, she showed up tonight, same car and walked right up to Mike. He took her into his apartment."

"Did she have red hair?" Kate asked, thinking of Caroline.

"No, light brown, close to blonde. Mike called her Meg."

Kate's eyes widened. She had taken Meg's information, but honestly hadn't put a lot of stake in her as a suspect, until now.

"Does this get the charges dropped?"

"I'll have to follow-up on what you've told me and talk to the prosecutor; but maybe."

Ronnie hung up the pay phone and headed home.

E

Kate sat on her couch surrounded by paperwork. "Come in," she called out, at the knock on the door. She knew it would be Eric.

"Hey, Hon, what's all that?"

"Background information on Megan Trask."

Eric raised an eyebrow.

"I got a call today from Ronnie, he claims he saw Megan sitting in her car in Mike's parking lot the night he keyed the truck and then someone slashed Mike's tires."

"Seriously?"

"He says he's sure it was her."

"Anything in her background?" Eric asked, moving a couple of papers, so he could sit next to Kate.

Kate handed him the sheet of paper she'd been reading. Eric read the sheet of paper and looked up surprised. "How'd you get this?"

"It was a misdemeanor, and the judge didn't seal it as a juvenile record."

"So she was convicted of criminal mischief for breaking the window of an ex-boyfriend's car with a baseball bat?"

"Yep."

"Gives you a slightly different perspective on the sweet school teacher image doesn't it. Are you going to question her?"

"I'm going to call her right now and ask that she come by the station after school tomorrow."

"Why don't you go make that call and I'll organize this paperwork for you and then we'll head to dinner."

"Sounds good," Kate stood up, but bent back over to kiss Eric. "Thank you."

"I worked with you long enough, I know how you like things," Eric smiled at her. Kate had her own style, she was incredibly logical and organized, traits he knew drove some people crazy, but he appreciated her ability to separate emotion from a situation and just look at the facts.

Eric looked at the papers and organized them in an order he knew Kate would appreciate. There didn't appear to be anything else suspicious about Megan Trask, but the one incident with the ex-boyfriend did seem related to the current situation with Mike Stoker.

E

Mike carried the folder in with him as he entered the station that next morning. He set it on the shelf of his locker as he began to change into this uniform. He hadn't slept well. He'd had dreams that kept interchanging Meg and Caroline in different dangerous situations, it was like he was putting them as the victims in the various calls he had gone on in the last few months.

The guys moved about their morning routine, getting changed into their uniforms, getting coffee, roll call and accepting their chore assignments.

"Hey, guys, I have a few things to go over for the assembly later this week. Can we take a couple of minutes?" Mike asked, setting the folder on the table.

The guy gathered around.

"Meg took some pictures of the school grounds to show us where we should park the engine and squad," Mike pulled out the pictures and the guys couldn't help but laugh. Meg had gotten stickers of a fire engine and ambulance, probably the closest thing she could find to represent the squad and placed them on the pictures. She had pictures of each child along with their name and a few bits of information about them included with the itinerary of what group of kids would be coming at which time.

"If we can keep these out we can study them when we are between runs," Roy said.

"Sounds good," Captain Stanley said. "I'll get some plastic helmets to hand out to the kids and bring them with me that morning."

"Does anyone have any questions for me to pass along to Meg?" Mike asked.

The guys shook their heads.

As the guys moved about their day, Johnny picked up on the fact that Mike was even quieter than usual. After lunch, he watched as Mike walked out to the back of the fire station and sat on the picnic table.

Johnny slowly walked over toward him, and sat down next to him.

Neither one spoke for several minutes.

"I didn't sleep well," Mike said.

Johnny just nodded.

"I kept having dreams about Meg and Caroline in danger."

Johnny looked over at him.

"I really like Caroline. I'm not even sure why. She's just so different from anyone I've ever dated before."

Johnny still said nothing, just nodded his head.

"She's gorgeous, sexy, wild."

Johnny concentrated on digging out some dirt from under one of his nails.

"So why am I still dreaming about Meg?"

Johnny looked over at him.

"After Ainsley left me following our first meeting, I started dating Kate. Kate was unlike any other woman I'd ever dated. She was smart and super organized. Rational where I'm emotional. She was a perfect example of opposites attract."

Mike nodded.

"Do you remember what Chet said to me?"

Mike shook his head.

"He called me a coward. He told me that I was going after Kate because she was safe. She'd never be able to break my heart the way Ainsley had when she left."

"So."

Johnny just looked at him.

"Man, I wasn't in love with Meg. We'd been dating less than a month."

Johnny said nothing.

"I wasn't."

"I didn't say you were," was all Johnny said.

Mike stood up and paced a few steps.

"Are you trying to tell me I should break-up with Caroline and go back to dating Meg?"

"No way," Johnny stood up, waving his hands. "You need to make those decisions on your own. What I'm asking you Mike, is what do you see for you and Caroline down the road? Maybe you don't remember it, but my wife was seriously rooting for you and Meg so she pointed out everything you said that made her think you two would end of married. Like how you both loved taking the dune buggies on the beach, both wanted a dog, you talked about kids and some of your views on how you should raise kids. Does Caroline like kids? Dogs?"

Mike was quiet for a few minutes. "I don't know."

"I'm just…," Johnny was cut off by the klaxons sounding.

"Station 51, car fire, at UCLA Powell Library, 10740 Dickson Ct."

"That's where Caroline works," Mike said, jumping up.

The gang moved toward their respective vehicles and were quickly pulling out of the station, the engine leading the way.

Mike could see the jet black smoke rising in the air before he pulled on to the long drive that would take him to the parking lot.

"That's Caroline's car," Mike said, seeing the dark colored sedan with flames engulfing the interior.

"Keep your head in the game," was all Captain Stanley said.

Mike pulled the engine up to the closest fire hydrant. Chet dropped down, ran along to the back of the engine and grabbed the end of the hose. He moved to start attaching the hose to the hydrant while Mike moved the engine closer to the burning vehicle. He allowed his eyes to scan the area looking for Caroline because it was part of his job to know where all the civilians were in the area and move any out of the way of danger. Caroline was standing toward the front edge of the crowd, campus security by her side.

Mike jumped down when he stopped the engine and moved to the side of the engine to man the controls. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Caroline try to move toward him, but campus safety stopped her.

Marco took the hose and began to spray down the car. Once they got the fire out, Mike turned off the gages and moved next to Captain Stanley.

Captain Stanley was knelt down near the front passenger wheel of the car.

"Whatcha got?" Mike asked.

"A reason to call Kate," Captain Stanley said, a dark brown burned tube in his hand.

"Is that dynamite?"

Captain Stanley nodded. "Let's go talk to campus security and you can check on your lovely lady."

Mike followed behind Captain Stanley. When they got close Caroline pulled away from campus security and ran over to him. Mike put his arms around her, pulling her into his chest.

"I was so scared," Caroline whispered, wrapping her arms around Mike's waist.

"What happened?"

"We're not sure. Miss Chaplin is the one who called us, when we arrived the car was already on fire."

Caroline turned to look at the others, but stayed leaning against Mike. "I was in the library waiting on some students," Caroline started, but paused when a car with police lights pulled up.

Kate got out of the car and moved over toward the group. "I heard the call and had a feeling," Kate explained.

"Miss Chaplin was just about to tell us what happened," one of the security guards said.

"I was waiting on some students at the check-out counter when there was a loud noise and the building shook a little. I thought for a second it was an earthquake," Caroline said, grabbing Mike's hands and wrapping his arms around her waist. "Then a student ran in and said a car had exploded. I called campus security and came out here and it was my car."

Kate wrote a few notes.

"When did you arrive at work?" Kate asked.

"8:00 AM."

"Had you been working with students all day?" Kate asked.

"Yes, I've been working up front with students all morning."

"Have you taken any breaks?"

"No, it's been a super busy morning, so I never got a chance to get away. I was just getting ready to take my lunch," Caroline said, looking up at Mike.

Mike knew she was hinting that she wanted to have lunch with him, but that couldn't happen with him on shift.

"Okay, I'll need to talk to a few other people, but I don't need anything else from you right now Caroline. I'll have a copy of my report ready tomorrow for your insurance company. Do you need me to arrange a ride home for you?"

Caroline looked up at Mike.

"I'm sorry, Caroline, I don't get off until tomorrow morning."

"Even after this?" Caroline asked, shocked he couldn't take a few minutes to drive her home.

Mike leaned his forehead against hers. "I can't," he whispered.

Caroline moved away. "I can get a ride," she said looking at Kate.

"Caroline," Mike said, reaching for her hand, and trying to gently lead her off to the side.

"I've got it, Mike. You're working and even something like someone blowing up your girlfriend's car comes second."

"Why don't you go stay at a friend's house? You'll be safer."

"I'll take care of it." Caroline said, moving away from Mike and back toward the building.

Mike sighed and headed back toward the engine. He slipped off his turnout, and turned around to see one of Caroline's co-workers standing nearby.

"Exciting day, huh?" Mike said.

"Seriously. I've never had anything like this, with the library at Southern California flooding and our needing to try to rescue some very valuable documents and now a car fire. We just need the Santa Ana winds to start blowing and we'd have wind, water and fire all in one week."

"Oh, so you helped out last night too?"

The woman gave Mike an odd look.

"I was with Caroline when she got called to help sort out the documents."

The woman scoffed. "Right, like Mrs. Hayworth would trust Caroline to a task as important as that." She walked away as a few women called out to her.

Mike knitted his eyebrows. Did that mean Caroline didn't get called into work last night?


	13. Chapter 13

Kate stepped inside the library and moved toward the private office of Mrs. Hayward. "Mrs. Hayward, can I ask you a few questions?"

"Sure, come in," Mrs. Hayward indicated the chair in front of her desk.

Kate closed the door and took a seat.

"Can I ask you what time Caroline came into work today?"

"Well, her start time is 8:00, but she strolled in here about 8:20."

Kate looked up from her notebook at the disgusted tone in Mrs. Hayward's voice. "Is it normal for her to be late?"

"I don't think Caroline has been here on time once since she was hired."

"And what is her role here at the library?"

"Caroline was hired to help transfer old newspaper and magazine articles over to microfiche; but I have had to use her for helping out at the check-out desk a few times a week because I am short staffed with the Southern California library flooding. I sent some of my employees to help them on-site."

"Was there any point today when Caroline was not where you expected her to be, or you couldn't find her?" Kate asked.

"Not that I am aware of. Most days she works I would tell you absolutely. It is not uncommon for Caroline to disappear for long stretches of time; or take three times as long on a project than it should realistically take. However, with the delivery of several damaged items last week most of us are doing very sensitive and detailed work and that has left Caroline covering the front desk primarily on her own. We are a busy library and it would be very difficult for her to slip away unnoticed."

"Can I ask you your opinion of Caroline?"

"I do not believe I have held my contempt in during this conversation. Caroline is routinely late, lacks respect for authority and believes the rules do not apply to her. She was hired by the Director of Library Services who appreciated Caroline's assets, if you know what I mean. Every couple of weeks, he stops in, she flirts with the man and her job is protected."

"Do you believe Caroline would be capable of property damage or injuring another person?"

Mrs. Hayward raised an eyebrow. "Are you asking me if Caroline could have done this to her own car?"

Kate smiled. "I'm just asking questions, Mrs. Hayward. Do you think Caroline could cause property damage or injury to another person?"

Mrs. Hayward shook her head. "Caroline is immature, and irresponsible; but I have never seen her be cruel, or even rude to any of our students. I cannot imagine her actually physically hurting anyone, or breaking the law."

"Thank you for your time," Kate closed her notebook and stood up. She wanted to get back to the police department to call the elementary school and check on Megan Trask. She also wanted to check on the whereabouts of Kevin Costas.

E

"Davis, get me eyes on Kevin Costas," Kate called out as she walked into her precinct. She walked over to her desk and quickly flipped the phone book open looking for the number of Clover Elementary school. "Principal Haggerty please," Kate said, when a secretary answered the phone.

Kate waited a few minutes for Principal Haggerty to answer the phone.

"Principal Haggerty."

"Principal Haggerty, this is Detective Kate Stryker. Can you tell me if Megan Trask was teaching all day today?"

"That's a very odd question, Detective Stryker. Is there something going on I should be aware of?" Principal Haggerty asked.

"Nothing at this time; I am meeting with her related to information on Mike Stoker and just wanted to touch base with her," Kate sidestepped the question.

"As a matter-of-fact, Miss Trask is working on some items for the safety assembly we are having later this week and she left school about 10:30 AM. We have a substitute covering her classes. I can leave her a message."

"That won't be necessary," Kate said, as she noted the time in her notebook. "I'll talk to her later this afternoon."

Kate hung up the phone. "Davis, what can you tell me about Costas?"

"We didn't have eyes on him today; the team got pulled off for an armed robbery on a nearby block. But, he was at his apartment when they left and came home with groceries when they were back at the apartment complex."

"So we know that he left his apartment and got groceries, we just don't know what else he may or may not have done."

Kate looked at the clock. Megan Trask would be there in about an hour for her scheduled interview. Kate sat down to go over some questions she wanted to ask her.

E

Megan opened the door to the police precinct and looked around. A female police officer at the front desk looked up. "Can I help you?"

"I have an appointment with Detective Kate Stryker."

"Name?"

"Megan Trask."

The female officer picked up the phone. "Megan Trask is here to see you."

A minute later Kate appeared in the lobby. "Megan, thank you for coming to see me. Do you mind if I call you Megan?"

"Megan is fine."

Kate opened the swinging door that came about to her waist and indicated that Megan should come in. "Can I get you anything?"

"I'd love a glass of water," Megan said, surprised at how dry her mouth felt.

Kate smiled. She walked over to the water cooler and filled up a paper cup full of water. She handed it to Megan and walked her toward an office in the back.

"Please, have a seat," Kate indicated one of the chairs at the table and then moved to the other side of the table.

"I just had a few questions I needed to ask you."

"Is this regarding Mike?" Megan asked.

Kate raised an eyebrow.

"He told me that he was having some issues and I know they believe the attack on Ainsley's house was related to her being seen with Mike."

"How well do you know Mike?" Kate asked.

Megan shrugged. "We dated for a few weeks before my dad got sick. We continued to talk on the phone while I was taking care of my dad, although it decreased significantly when he met Caroline."

"What is your opinion of Caroline?"

Megan shrugged again. "I really don't know her very well."

Kate observed Megan's eyes were looking at the table and she was twisting her fingers. It was obvious she was not being completely honest in that answer.

"Can I ask you where you were earlier today?"

Megan looked up surprised. "I was teaching."

"All day?"

Megan shook her head. "No, I left around 10:30 AM to run some errands for the upcoming safety assembly."

"Did your errands take you near the UCLA campus at all?"

Megan furrowed her brow. "Yes, I suppose so. One of the companies that is providing the bags we are going to hand out to the kids is that way and one of the food vendors for the hot dog carts is out that way. I needed to drop off our final numbers and a deposit check."

"Caroline works at the Pearson Library," Kate said, watching for Megan's reaction.

Megan continued to sit and look at her.

"Did you know that?"

Meg shook her head.

"But you know where Mike lives," Kate said.

"Yes, I'd been there when we were dating."

"You've been there other times too, haven't you?"

Meg looked at Kate, but she moved her hands off the table and into her lap, kind of closing herself off.

"I got an interesting call the other day," Kate said, continuing to watch Megan's body language. "A person claimed that the night Mike's truck was vandalized, you were seen sitting in the parking lot for a very long time. After Mike got home, you left."

Meg dropped her eyes to look at her hands, her shoulder's slumping forward.

"So I did some checking on you," Kate said, pausing until Megan looked back at her. "Imagine my surprise to find out you've been charged with criminal mischief in the past for breaking a boyfriend's car window."

"It wasn't like that," Meg protested. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe this." Meg covered her face with her hands.

"Why don't you tell me what it was like," Kate said, leaning back in her chair.

"I didn't break Dan's window. I mean, I did, but not on purpose. Dan and I had been dating for a couple of months. He was a baseball player in my high school. One night he told me that he couldn't go out because he had to help his mom around the house. I ended up going out on my own to run some errands and I pulled up to the local ice cream shop and there is Dan kissing my best friend."

"That must've made you mad."

"It did. I jumped out of the car and started yelling at him, calling him a cheater and her a slut. I had a bunch of Dan's baseball stuff in my trunk. I opened the trunk and started throwing his stuff out. The first two bats I had tossed out where heavy wooden bats. The last one was aluminum and very light. It really flew when I tossed it out of the trunk. It hit the car window and the window broke. It was an accident."

"So why didn't you tell that to the judge?"

"I tried, but my parent's didn't have a lot of money and couldn't afford to hire a lawyer and Dan's dad, was a very prominent business man who golfed with the judge," Meg shook her head. "My parents told me to just be happy it was a misdemeanor."

"And why were you sitting in Mike's parking lot the night his truck was vandalized?"

"I didn't see anyone do anything to Mike's truck," Meg protested. "I'd have reported it, I promise."

"That isn't what I asked you," Kate said, her voice holding the stern quality of a seasoned police officer that didn't' want to be fed any lines.

Tears filled Meg's eyes, but didn't fall. She dropped her head and said something that Kate couldn't make out.

"What?"

"I was being an idiot," Meg said, louder this time, looking up at Kate. "I'd gone over to ask Mike to give us another chance."

"So why didn't you?"

"I'm so embarrassed," Meg said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Why?"

"I've been acting like such an idiot. I'm the reason my relationship with Mike ended, and I've been acting like a psycho ex-girlfriend. Do you know I actually have even been telling myself that I'm gonna steal Mike back from Caroline," Megan ran her hands over her face again, and then pushed them through her hair, "I'm so stupid?"

"What have you been doing to win Mike back?" Kate asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I intentionally went over to his place to give him a folder about the assembly that I could have easily given to Roy. I thought when I got there I'd have the nerve to make some bold gesture."

"Like what?"

Meg shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I imagined just kissing him. Telling him that he was making a huge mistake with Caroline and that I was the right woman for him."

"But you didn't."

Meg shook her head. "Ugh, this is so embarrassing. I was standing in his apartment, looking at the most amazing man I've ever met and trying to figure out a way to seduce him," Meg wiped at her eyes. "I took in a deep breath and he smelled like her perfume. He told me that we were friends and I realized I wasn't being a friend. I was about to put him in a position that was going to make him uncomfortable and if I kissed him and by some chance he kissed me back, I was going to put him in a position that he cheated on someone he was dating. Mike wouldn't do that; it isn't who he is. I couldn't go through with it. I told him I was sorry I'd ended things, but it didn't go anywhere beyond that. When I left I kissed him on the cheek and told him I hoped he was happy. That was my way of saying good-bye," Meg wiped her cheeks.

"So that's it. You're fine he's with Caroline now?" Kate asked.

Meg gave a small smile. "I'm not sure I could say fine. I honestly don't like Caroline very much; but I'm done acting like a love sick teenager."

"Caroline's car was bombed earlier today," Kate said, again watching for Meg's reaction.

"Oh my," Meg said, her eyes getting wide. "Is she okay?"

"Yes, she wasn't in the vehicle at the time. It was parked at her job."

"Wow," Meg said, shaking her head.

Meg suddenly locked eyes with Kate, "You think I did it," Meg's voice was shocked. "That's why you asked me where I was and if I knew where Caroline worked."

Kate said nothing.

"Look, I'll be the first one to admit I've acted a little crazy lately, waiting in Mike's parking lot, plotting to break him and Caroline up, but I did NOT do anything to Caroline's car, or Mike's truck, or anything like that."

"Can any of the vendors verify you were at their locations this afternoon?"

Meg looked scared as she shook her head no. "I just dropped off paperwork through mail slots they had in their doors."

"You've admitted to not liking Caroline and wanting to get Mike back."

"I didn't know I was being investigated for a crime," Meg protested.

"So you would have told me a different story, if you knew you were being investigated?" Kate said, trying to see how ruffled Meg would get.

"No, I just, no. I just…I didn't feel like I was talking to a police officer. I felt like I was talking to another woman who might understand that sometimes we do crazy things when we love someone who doesn't love us back."

Kate actually felt bad for Meg. She looked so devastated as she literally seemed to shrink into herself.

"At this time, Megan, I'm just asking questions and seeing where everyone was today. No one is being charged."

Meg looked up at her.

"And I'm not about to share any of our conversations with anyone else," Kate said, hoping Meg realized what she had shared would not be shared with Mike.

"Thank you," Megan whispered.

"I'll walk you out."

Megan kept her head down as Kate walked her out of the station.

E

Meg drove home in a daze. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Who had seen her sitting in Mike's parking lot, she wondered. Had they seen anything else? Meg pulled into her driveway and turned the car off. She just sat there, staring out the windshield not seeing anything.

Meg jumped when there was a knock on the window. Joe stood there looking at her.

Megan moved to open the door, and Joe offered her his hand to help her out. "Are you okay?" Joe asked.

Meg nodded, but didn't say anything.

"Hey, what's wrong. You look like you've just received some terrible news," Joe said, turning Meg to face him.

Meg shook her head. "It's just been a rough day."

"Why don't you let me help you make it better," Joe offered. "I know this amazing seafood place down by Redondo Beach; why don't you let me take you to dinner?"

Meg shook her head. "Thanks, Joe, but I'd be terrible company tonight."

"I hate to see you alone feeling sad," Joe said, reaching down and taking her hand.

"Does this have anything to do with that guy Mike who came with you to work on Mrs. Harper's house?"

"Sort of," Meg said.

"Hey, any guy that doesn't realize you're the most amazing woman on the planet is an idiot and you're better off without him," Joe said, trying to get her to smile.

"Mike's not an idiot."

"He is if he has made you sad."

"Thanks, Joe. I appreciate you trying to make me feel better."

"I'm being serious Meg. I think you are one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. You're sweet and caring. I would really like to get to know you better."

Meg blushed at this words. "I'm not beautiful," she said shyly.

"The fact that you don't know it, makes you even more beautiful. Have dinner with me, Meg."

Meg took a deep breath. She needed to move on with her life and put Mike behind her. "Can you give me like an hour? I need to get cleaned up and make a couple of phone calls."

Joe looked at his watch. "I'll pick you up in an hour." Joe lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of her hand. "Be prepared for an evening that makes whatever happened earlier today fade away as a distant memory for what turns out to be an amazing evening."

Meg smiled at Joe's enthusiasm. "See you in an hour," she said, moving toward her house.

E

Mike slammed the phone down in frustration. "Whoa, what'd the phone do?" Captain Stanley said from his position on the couch.

"I can't reach Caroline."

"You did tell her to go stay with a friend," Captain Stanley rationalized.

"But she didn't seem like she was going to and if she did I thought she'd call me to tell me where she was gonna be."

Captain Stanley personally thought Caroline knew exactly what she was doing. By not calling Mike and not telling him where she was going to be she had assured that he would be thinking of nothing else, but her.

"I even tried calling her work to see if she happened to stay at work but they confirmed she left not long after the police and security released her to go. No one had any idea on where she would've gone."

Captain Stanley watched his young engineer pacing the dayroom floor.

"She doesn't have a car, so she couldn't have driven anywhere."

Mike ran a hand through his hair. "What if the person doing this saw her walking and grabbed her? I should call the police," Mike moved back to the phone.

Captain Stanley frowned. Caroline had Mike wound super tight and pretty soon he was gonna snap. There was no doubt she was a beautiful woman, but he wasn't sure what else Mike saw in her. She hadn't talked much to any of the guys when they were at Ainsley's welcome home party. She didn't seem to fit in with the other women. She had clung super closer to Mike, and had kept him separated from the rest of them whenever she could. Captain Stanley wondered if he should take Mike aside and have a talk with him about what he saw in Caroline. He cared about all his guys and being a bit older naturally kept on eye out for them. Before Ainsley, Johnny had been his biggest concern, but he'd settled into the role of husband and dad remarkably well. Since then his attention had been focused on Chet, but now it appeared Mike was the one in need of some guidance.

Mike hung up the phone and hung his head, his hands resting on the table under the phone. "The police don't know where she is either. I should've driven her home."

"You were working," Chet said, as he walked into the kitchen and overheard the conversation.

"Who was working?" Johnny asked, walking in behind him and heading toward the kitchen.

"Mike was sayin' he should've driven Caroline home."

"You were working," Roy said, as he moved toward the coffee pot.

"That's what I was just tellin' him," Chet said.

"When Ainsley was in the accident Johnny stayed at the hospital with her," Mike argued.

"First, she was actually in the car when it wrecked, and second she was pregnant with my baby," Johnny said pointedly.

"So what, that makes Caroline less important?"

"You know that isn't what he's sayin'," Roy interjected, trying to keep the peace.

"That sounds like exactly what he was saying."

"Mike, we will most likely get another call tonight, I need to know, can you keep your mind on business?" Captain Stanley interrupted the exchange.

Mike turned, shocked his Captain would ask him that question. "I'm just worried about her, Cap."

"You're completely focused on her. I can't have a distracted man out there, that's how people get hurt or worse. If you can't stay focused tell me right now and I'll call in a replacement."

Mike felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. Captain Stanley had never questioned his commitment or his ability to do his job. Not even when they'd been going through all those attacks by Tim.

"I'm fine," Mike said.

Captain Stanley stood up and moved closer to his young engineer. "Be sure, because it's one of those guys that doesn't make it home if you're wrong," Captain Stanley jerked his head to indicate the four crewman now sitting at the table; his voice low so only Mike could hear him.

Mike looked over at his teammates. "I'm sure." Mike moved out of the kitchen and toward the dorm. He moved over to the desk and picked up the phone. He hesitated for a moment and then dialed Meg's number. He needed to get his head on straight and she was amazing at helping him see things differently. He let the phone ring over 20 times before he finally hung up the phone.

Mike moved over to his bunk and laid down staring at the ceiling. What was he doing? He closed his eyes and could easily see both Caroline's and Meg's face. Where were they?


	14. Chapter 14

Ainsley jumped when Chief let out a deep barked and quickly moved from the living room where he'd been laying on her feet toward the back door. A split second later, Ainsley heard the soft knock. She glanced at the clock; who would come by before 7:00 AM. Ainsley quietly moved into the kitchen. Chief hadn't barked again, but he stood staring at the door. Ainsley relaxed when she saw his tail wagging. She moved to the door and unlocked it, opening it slightly, but making sure to allow Chief to be in front of her.

"Meg," Ainsley opened the door wider.

"I am so sorry to come by so early, but I had to tell you about my day yesterday."

"C'mon in, I'll start the coffee," Ainsley said.

"Hey, Chief," Meg rubbed the dog's ears. "Kids still sleeping?"

"Grace had me up at 5:00 AM, I just got her back down about a half hour ago. Hunter is bound to be up any minute, so I took the time in between to actually get a shower without two kids in the bathroom with me."

Meg moved to sit down at the kitchen table. Chief sat next to her, leaning against her leg. Meg obliged the dog by scratching his head.

Ainsley started the coffee percolating. "Can I get you any food? I have everything ready for French toast for when Johnny gets home."

"No, thanks. I don't have long, but I had to tell you about yesterday."

"Spill," Ainsley said, sitting across from Meg.

"I had a meeting with Kate, down at the precinct. She thought I bombed Caroline's car," Meg said.

"What? Are you kidding me? Wait a minute, someone bombed Caroline's car? Johnny didn't' say anything about that when he called. And why would Kate suspect you? She thought I was the one setting bombs when Tim attacked the station before. Now, she's targeting you?"

"Well, unfortunately, I think I gave her a reason to believe it was possible."

"What are you talking about?" Ainsley asked. "Someone only needs to spend 5 minutes with you to realize how sweet and friendly you are. No one could honestly think you'd bomb someone's car."

"It's completely embarrassing, can we just leave it as I was acting like a love sick teenager when it came to Mike and gave her a reason to think I don't like Caroline," Meg said, feeling herself start to blush.

"Okay," Ainsley said, noticing Meg blushing. "But I can't believe it was anything so bad she'd think you'd bomb Caroline's car. No matter how much you don't like her."

"Well, there was an incident where I accidently broke an ex-boyfriend's car window, and he pressed charges saying I did it on purpose."

"Seriously?"'

"I'll explain the whole story to you some time. Right now, I want to tell you about the other big news of my day yesterday," Meg paused until she had Ainsley's full attention. "I had a date."

"You did, with who? Dish," Ainsley said, feeling herself break into a huge smile.

Meg laughed. "Joe, this guy that lives in my neighborhood. He saw me get home from my meeting with Kate and could tell I was upset. He convinced me to have dinner with him and I can't remember the last time I laughed that hard. I honestly didn't think I was going to have a good time given everything that had gone on with Kate. I tried to talk him out of taking me out, but he persisted. I'm so glad I went."

"Joe, you mean that good looking guy that waves to you every time I go over your house?"

Meg smiled. "That's the one."

"Oooh, he is so cute."

"I usually like guys with brown hair, but yes, he is very cute and really super sweet. He worked so hard to make sure I had a good time last night. I've never had anyone pay that kind of attention to me before."

"Well you deserve it," Ainsley said. She got up and poured Meg a cup of coffee. "So tell me all about it, don't leave out a single detail."

Meg laughed. "He picked me up and brought me a box of See's candy. He said normally he went for flowers, but given the fact I'd had a stressful day he thought chocolates were more appropriate. He held my arm while he walked me to the car. He opened car doors, the door to the restaurant, held my chair, stood up when I got up to go to the restroom."

"I love it when a guy does that stuff."

"Me too. He kept me laughing all night with crazy stories about plumbing disasters, nothing disgusting, but I smiled so much, my face hurt," Meg smiled just thinking back to some of his stories. "I told him he should write a book, he had so many stories."

"That sounds like a pretty amazing first date."

"It was. The food was absolutely delicious. He drove me home, walked me to the door, and took my keys to unlock the door for me. Then he leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek and asked if he could see me again."

"You better have said yes," Ainsley said.

Meg laughed. "I did, I did. The historical society has opened a bunch of historical homes for a tour this weekend. The Stahl House and Charmed House, Ennis House and few others; we're gonna go look at them. Some are supposed to have beautiful gardens too."

"That sounds really cool. Are you going to go to the School District Luncheon on Sunday?"

"I'm thinking about it. Are you going?"

"I doubt it. Johnny's off, but with two kids now, I hate to leave him to manage them both by himself."

Meg looked at the clock. "I should get going. I don't want to leave a class full of fourth graders without a teacher."

Ainsley laughed and shook her head. "No, no you do not."

E

Ainsley was just buckling Hunter into his booster seat when Chief moved toward the back door. "Daddy's home," Ainsley said. She moved toward the griddle and quickly ran a piece of bread through the egg mixture and then placed in onto the griddle reaching for a second piece.

"Good morning my wife," Johnny said, as he entered the house.

"Good morning my husband," Ainsley said, not turning around. "Have I got news for you. Meg went out on a date last night and has date number two on Saturday."

Ainsley turned around to see Mike standing directly behind Johnny. "Oh, Mike, I didn't realize you were coming by."

"Johnny kinda forced me," Mike said, his face looking glum. "Meg had a date last night, huh?"

"Let me make you some French toast," Ainsley said, pulling out more bread, and avoiding Mike's question at the same time.

"Mike had a rough night. I thought he should see how nice it is when you find a good woman and marry her," Johnny said, moving over to kiss his wife.

"Are you thinking about marrying Caroline?" Ainsley whipped around, a horrified look on her face.

"No," Mike blurted out. "I mean, we haven't been dating that long, we're not in that place yet," Mike corrected, trying to step back from how forceful his no had sounded.

Ainsley looked at Mike and then back at Johnny. Something much bigger was going on, but neither guy was saying anything.

"I'm glad to know Meg is okay," Mike said, sitting down at the table. "I was worried when I tried to call her last night and couldn't reach her. I thought maybe whoever is doing all of this might've gone after Meg."

Ainsley cocked her head. Why had Mike been calling Meg? "Well, apparently Kate thinks Meg is doing these things. She accused her of bombing Caroline's car."

"What? No way," Mike instantly defended Meg. "Meg wouldn't hurt a fly."

"That's what I said, but Kate questioned her yesterday."

"Is she okay?" Mike asked.

"She seemed to be, I think her date with Joe helped her have a much better evening," Ainsley said, watching Mike closely. She was sure she saw his jaw muscles clench when she mentioned Joe.

"I met him when I helped Meg at her neighbor's house. He seemed like a nice guy."

"Very chivalrous and romantic from what Meg was telling me," Ainsley said, rubbing it in a little bit. Mike looked up at her. But, Ainsley turned back to the French toast. "How many pieces would you each like?"

"Four," Johnny said.

"I'm not very hungry," Mike said.

"You need to eat," Ainsley said. Ainsley looked over at a very dejected looking Mike. She nodded for Johnny to come take her place at the griddle. He got up and took over cooking so Ainsley could go sit next to Mike.

"I'm sorry, I might've rubbed Meg's date in a little bit because I'm disappointed you guys broke up. But, you've moved on. You certainly had to know that another guy was going to snatch her up. Meg's smart, beautiful, sweet."

"I know," Mike said miserably. "I'm happy for her."

"Then why do you look like your dog just died."

"I'm worried about Caroline," Mike said, dismissing the idea his sadness was caused by Meg dating. "She wanted me to drive her home after the car bombing and I didn't do it."

"You were working," Ainsley said.

"We've told him that," Johnny interjected.

"But now I can't find her," Mike said. "She's not answering her phone, no one at work knows where she went. I'm worried something happened to her."

"Sounds to me like what's happening is exactly what she wanted to happen."

"Whatdya mean?" Mike looked up at Ainsley.

"You're worried about her, so you're thinking about her and that's exactly what she wants from you."

"Don't ya think that's a little harsh?"

"No."

"You just don't like Caroline because you're friends with Meg," Mike stated.

"I don't like Caroline because Caroline isn't a nice person. She has no interest in getting to know your friends, no interest in sharing your hobbies, or caring about what you care about. Caroline cares about Caroline and expects the world to revolve around her. A spouse is supposed to be someone that brings out the best in you; that's never going to happen with Caroline."

Ainsley reached over and put a hand on Mike's arm. "If you're just looking for someone to mess around with and have a good time with, Caroline is perfect. But, I don't think that's where you are at this point in your life, Mike. I think you want to start thinking about your future," Ainsley stood up, giving Mike's arm a light pat. She moved back over to the griddle.

Johnny turned, sliding an arm around Ainsley and pulling her closer. He pressed his lips against hers. "You make me a better man," he whispered when he broke the kiss, leaning his forehead against hers.

"You make me a better woman," Ainsley whispered back. "I love you."

"I love you," Johnny leaned in for another kiss, pressing Ainsley back against the counter.

"You know, I could take the kids out for a while," Mike said, watching exchange.

Johnny chuckled, "Sorry, man, she still takes my breath away." Johnny moved back over toward the table, carrying a plate with a few pieces of French toast. He dropped a few pieces onto Mike's plate and then sat down and began cutting up another slice into small bites so he could feed them to Hunter.

Mike watched Johnny feeding Hunter and Ainsley across the room making more French toast and couldn't help but sigh. The truth was, this was what he wanted. He watched Ainsley turn to look at the hallway a second before he heard the baby's cry. "I'll get her," Mike said, standing up and moving toward Grace's room.

"Thanks," Ainsley said, flipping the bread on the griddle.

Mike moved into Grace's room, and headed over to the crib. He looked down at the squirming little baby. He looked around and found the clean diapers and quickly changed her diaper. He picked up the little girl and carefully cradled her in his arms. Grace looked up at him and Mike could swear she smiled at him. He carried her toward the kitchen.

"I think she smiled at me," Mike said.

"She doesn't smile yet," Johnny said. "It's gas."

"Nonsense," Ainsley said. "What girl wouldn't smile at Mike."

Johnny rolled his eyes and shoved a fork full of French toast into his mouth, "I can think of plenty," he said, with is mouth full.

Mike shook his head and handed the baby to Ainsley so she could feed her.

Mike stayed for about an hour, holding Grace and taking Hunter outside to play on the swings. When he got into his truck to head home he had to admit he did feel better. Johnny was right, it would be really nice to come home to someone, not just someone, Mike thought, a family.

E

Mike pulled into the parking lot for his apartment complex thinking about what he wanted in his immediate future. He train of thought came to an abrupt halt when he saw Caroline leaning against a car he didn't recognize. His worry changed to anger. Where had she been?

Mike got out of his truck, shutting the door harder than needed. He strode toward Caroline, completely ready to tell her how angry he was with her.

Caroline pushed away from the car and quickly moved toward Mike. He opened his mouth to say something, but before any words could come out, Caroline had wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a deep kiss.

Mike pushed her away, his anger not dissipating just because she kissed him. "Where have you been? I've been worried sick."

"At a friend's house, like you told me too," Caroline pulled back, looking surprised at his anger.

"You didn't think to call me and tell me you were okay?"

"I tried to call the station when I got there, but no one answered. My friend kept me running most of the night. She said I needed to keep my mind off everything that had happened. She took me to rent this car, and we went to dinner and a movie. By the time we got back to the house, I knew it would be too late to call the station again."

Caroline placed her hands on Mike's chest. "You were worried about me?" Caroline gave Mike a sexy smile. "That is so sweet. I love it when you get protective," Caroline leaned in and drew him into another kiss, this time pressing her body tightly against his.

Mike felt himself responding to her kiss. But after a few seconds he pulled away again. "You can't just dismiss this with a kiss, Caroline. This is serious. My Captain actually questioned my ability to do my job because I was distracted worrying about you," Mike said, the anger obvious in his voice.

Caroline took a step back. "You were worried enough about me it impacted your work?"

"Yes."

Caroline smiled. "Oh, Mike!" Caroline threw her arms around him and kissed him again. "I'm so sorry you were that worried, but I'm so glad you were."

"What?"

"Your job is obviously so important to you; I always feel like I'm not as important. I love the fact you were worried enough about me that people noticed."

"That isn't a good thing, Caroline. A distracted fireman can get people injured, or worse."

Caroline dropped the flirtatious smile and looked at Mike. "Mike, I'm sorry. I really did try to call, and it was after 10 when we finally got back to the house. I know you told me you guys usually turn in around 10. If I knew you were gonna be that worried I would've called anyway. I honestly just didn't think you cared that much."

Mike looked at her, and didn't say anything.

"I'm glad you do," Caroline said, taking a step closer, but not touching him. "You mean a lot to me too. I've just always got the impression that you were keeping our relationship at one level, and didn't really want anything deeper. I've been willing to take you any way I can have you, but I would love for us to be more to each other."

"You have a funny way of showing it," Mike said.

"Me?" Caroline took a step back. "I've done nothing other than try and make you happy and please you. You're the one that seems to put everything before me. I get the job, but your friends always come before me and I know you're still spending time with Megan, even though you told me you wouldn't."

"I haven't been spending time with Meg."

"Then why was she at your apartment the other day?"

Mike paused. "She stopped by to drop off information for the assembly. How'd you even know about that?"

"I'd gone to work to help, but they ended up not needing me. I came by to resume our make-out session, and saw Meg leaving your apartment," Caroline said. "I can't help but think if it'd been Meg's car that exploded you'd have found a way to drive her home."

"Caroline, it isn't like that," Mike protested.

"Your telling me you were worried about me, to the point it impacted your work, is the first time I've felt like I was actually important to you," Caroline sniffed and wiped at a tear.

Mike forgot about his anger, feeling guilty for making Caroline feel like she wasn't appreciated.

Mike reached up and brushed a piece of hair out of her face. She was so beautiful, and she was looking up at him with her green eyes bright with unshed tears, light freckles scattered across her cheeks. "I'm sorry I made you feel that way, Caroline. I'm a lucky guy for having a woman as beautiful as you wanting to spend time with me."

Caroline didn't say anything, she simply looked at the down at the ground.

Mike placed his hand under her chin and lifted her face to look at him. Mike ran a hand through her hair and then slid his hand down her back, until it reached her waist and he pulled her closer. Caroline let herself rest against him.

Mike kissed her and reached for her hand. He led her toward his apartment, not saying a word. He opened the door and stood back so Caroline could enter the apartment. She stood there while he dropped his bag near the door and his keys into the bowl on his table. He turned back around, taking her hand and heading toward the bedroom. He felt guilty that he'd let Meg into his apartment and had hurt Caroline in the process. She was right, he'd been holding back in their relationship, and maybe he was the only reason things hadn't developed into something more meaningful.

When they got into the room, Mike pulled Caroline into a kiss, and moved her over to the bed. "I'm sorry I made you feel like you weren't important to me," Mike said.

"Are you trying to tell me you want us to take things to the next level?"

Mike responded by pulling her into another kiss. Caroline slid her hands under his t-shirt, and lifted it over his head.

Mike didn't say anything, but slowly leaned Caroline back on the bed, his mouth closing over hers. Caroline wrapped her arms around his neck, as he covered her body with his own. Mike moved from kissing her lips to kissing her neck, his hands moving under her shirt.

Caroline closed her eyes as Mike slipped her shirt off over her head, but quickly opened them when a loud bang reverberated through the room, she quickly closed them again though as drywall dust began to fall from the ceiling.

"Get your shirt on," Mike said, jumping off the bed, grabbing his shirt and pulling it over his head as he headed out of the bedroom.

Caroline slipped her shirt on, but stayed sitting on the bed.

Mike came back a few seconds later, grabbing her hand. "We've got to get out of here."

"What's going on?"

"The laundry room exploded," Mike explained, quickly leading her out of the apartment. "Go across the street and make sure someone has called the fire department. Stay over there, you'll be safe."

Caroline grabbed his hand. "Where are you going?"

"To make sure everyone is out and safe."

"No, Mike, come with me," Caroline pulled his hand.

"Caroline, go, now!" Mike pulled his hand free and moved toward the smoke and flames.

Caroline ran across the street and into the convenience store.

Mike moved toward the far end of the apartment complex where the fire was spreading beyond the remnants of the laundry room to other apartments. Mike pounded on the first door he could reach. No one answered, but Mike knew being so close to the explosion someone could be unconscious in the apartment. He took a step back and kicked the lock, the door swinging open as the frame splintered. Mike held his arm over his nose and mouth trying to block some of the smoke as he quickly cleared the apartment. Finding it empty he moved back outside, the fresh air triggering a fit of coughing.

Mike could hear the sirens in the distance; but they were still minutes away and with a fire minutes could mean the difference between life and death. Mike moved to the next apartment, just as the door opened. "I can't get my daughter out, "the woman practically screamed at him. "I can't lift it, she's trapped."

"Can't lift what?"

"Bookshelf, in the bedroom. Hurry, please," the woman went to move back into the apartment, but Mike grabbed her arm.

"I'm a fireman, I'll get her. Get across the street, you'll be safe there."

"I'm not leaving!"

"Please, I need you out of danger so I can help your daughter. Please, ma'am, go!" Mike gave her a small push toward the door as he turned toward the bedroom. He entered the room and looked at the large shelf that had fallen and trapped the girl's legs.

"Help, I can't move," she said, obviously trying to get free.

"Can you feel your legs?"

"Yes, they hurt; but I can move them; I just can't get free."

Mike looked around, but there wasn't anything to use to lift the book shelf. "I think I can lift it up enough for you to pull yourself out. Are you ready?"

"Ye," the young girl started coughing as the smoke settled in closer to the floor. "Yes," she squeaked out.

Mike bent down and grabbed ahold of the bookshelf. He lifted the shelf as high as he could while the young girl struggled to pull herself free. Mike could feel his arms starting to quiver as he continued to hold up the massive book shelf as she slowly struggled to get free.

"I'm out."

Mike grateful released the book shelf that settled back into its spot with a thud.

The girl tried to stand up, but cried out in pain. "My ankle!"

Mike bent over and helped her stand up. "I'm gonna carry you out," he put her over his shoulder in a standard fireman carry and quickly moved out of the apartment. 51's engine was just pulling into the parking lot as Mike exited the apartment.

"I cleared Apartment 102 and 103," Mike told Captain Hookraider as he dropped down from the engine.

"Great, now get across the street with the rest of the victims. Dwyer and Bruce will be here soon."

"I can help," Mike protested.

"No, you can't." For Hookraider, the conversation was over.

Captain Hookraider proceeded to direct Station 51s B shift in pulling lines to start battling the blaze. When Engine 24 pulled up, Hookraider started giving them instructions, as first on scene, he was in charge.

Mike moved across the street and set the young girl on the ground next to her mother. Caroline was nowhere to be seen. Before Mike could think any more about it, the Squad was pulling up and Mike was signaling them to come over.

After his third time having to stop talking due to a coughing spasm, Dwyer handed him an oxygen mask. When Mike looked like he might object Dwyer got directly in his face, "Put it on now, Stoker, that's an order."

Mike put the oxygen mask over his mouth and nose and couldn't help the coughing spasm that the fresh oxygen caused. When he could catch his breath he looked around again for Caroline. He saw her moving toward him, and figured she must have been inside the convenience store.

"Mike, are you okay," she sat down next to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I'm okay," Mike said, his voice muffled by the mask.

"You were so brave," Caroline gushed.

Mike said nothing, his attention had moved to across the street as he watched the fireman battling the flames that were consuming his apartment building. Mike couldn't help thinking he'd been through this before. When Tim had set his apartment complex on fire, a very nice old lady had lost her life. Mike couldn't help but feel dread wondering if someone had lost their life in this attack.

Caroline looked up at Mike when he didn't respond to her and followed his gave across the street. She leaned in close to him and rested her head against his chest. Mike slipped his arm around her waist and just continued to watch the scene unfolding in front of him, wondering briefly why the water being sprayed on the building didn't appear to be much help. It wasn't until hours later that Mike would find out that someone had sprayed a thin layer of magnesium dust around the exterior of the building.

E

"How does someone do that without being noticed?" Mike asked, as the fire inspector explained that he had found remnants of magnesium dust along the foundation of the apartment which caused the fire to continue to reignite even after the initial flame had been doused.

"Several residents reported seeing a pest control company out here spraying earlier. No one remembers an actual name, just a man wearing a jump suit that said pest control and had a picture of a cockroach on the back. I already checked with the landlord, the building isn't due to be sprayed until next week," Kate explained. She had arrived on scene about an hour before.

"Could anyone describe the guy?" Mike asked.

Kate shook her head. "He was wearing a baseball cap and face mask. The best I've got is people think it was a guy, but no one is even 100% sure about that; in fact, one neighbor swears it was a woman."

Mike rubbed his forehead. "You didn't see anything?" He looked over at Caroline.

Caroline shook her head at Mike's question. "There wasn't any pest control people here when I got here."

"Mike," Kate started, but then stopped.

"I already know, Kate. No one can go back inside the building, it isn't safe. I don't need anyone to tell me that, I can see it."

"I'm sorry."

"At least no one died this time."

Caroline wrapped her arms around Mike's waist and leaned against him. Mike leaned down and kissed the top of her head. He saw Marco and Chet pull into the lot. "I'll be right back," Mike said, moving toward his friends.

Caroline said nothing, and stayed where she was standing.

"Mike, man, I am so sorry," Chet said, as Mike approached them.

"Thanks."

"If there's anything we can do man," Marco said.

"Actually, I can't go back into my apartment; can I stay with one of you?" Mike asked.

Chet looked over at Caroline, who was looking at the apartment building. "You're not gonna use this as a way to get invited to stay at her place?" Chet asked, appreciating Caroline's figure as he looked at her.

Mike shook his head. "Not a good idea right now. I need to get my head on straight."

Marco and Chet exchanged looks, but neither one made a comment.

"Let me get Caroline into her car and on her way home and I'll be ready to go. Can we stop by the station? I've got a change of clothes in my locker and can use those for tomorrow until I can figure out if any of my belongings can be salvaged."

Chet looked down and the ground and scuffed his tennis shoes through the dirt. Mike had started keeping a change of clothes at the station when his apartment burned down last time. The guys had razzed him for it, and Chet felt bad that there was a reason to have to use them now.

Mike patted Chet's shoulder, and then walked away toward Caroline.

"I can get you over to your car now, so you can go home," Mike said. He wasn't sure how he was going to handle things when Caroline asked him to stay with her, but he knew that with where his head was right now, staying at her place was a very bad idea.

"Are you gonna stay with one of your friends?" Caroline lifted her chin in Marco and Chet's direction.

"Yeh, I'll stay with Marco," Mike said, looking at the ground to avoid the hurt he figured he'd see in Caroline's eyes.

"Be safe, okay," Caroline said. "Will you be able to call me tonight?"

Mike looked up, surprised by her words.

Caroline saw the surprise and reached for Mike's hand. "I really like you Mike. I wasn't sure that you wanted anything permanent with me, but given you were so worried about me last night, maybe I was wrong," Caroline smiled at him. "I hope I was wrong. I really like you Mike, and I hope we can develop something deeper. I'm willing to sacrifice a few minutes between the sheets for something long-term."

Mike blinked, surprised at how she was handling all this. "It'd be more than a few minutes," he teased.

"I can't wait," Caroline slipped her arms around his neck. Mike bent down, kissing her good-bye. When he stood back up, Caroline ran her hand down his cheek. "Can I see you before you go on shift again?"

"Why don't I come over tomorrow," Mike suggested.

"I'd like that," Caroline smiled at him, and Mike blinked. When she wanted to turn on the charm, she was breathtaking he thought.

"Drive safe, Caroline, and if you see anything suspicious call the police," Mike cautioned her.

"I will."

Caroline got in the car, and slowly pulled out onto the street. She looked in her rearview mirror as Mike joined his friends. She couldn't help but smile, this was going better than she could've planned.


	15. Chapter 15

Mike woke with a start, looking around trying to get his bearings. Then it all came flooding back to him, the explosion at the apartment complex, his conversation with Caroline. He'd gone to the station and grabbed a change of clothes and had just gone to bed when he got to Marco's. He hadn't gotten much sleep on the shift before and he'd never got to bed before the fire. Mike's mind flashed to walking Caroline into his bedroom. Mike rubbed his hands over his face; how had that even happened? He'd started out being mad at her and ended up feeling liked he'd done something wrong. He looked over at the clock, 5:03 AM. He wasn't surprised he woke up so early given the fact it was just after 4:00 PM when he'd gone to bed.

Mike swung his legs over the side of the bed. He'd worn his running shorts to bed. Since he was already dressed for a run, he decided to get up and get out for a few miles. He debated throwing on a t-shirt, but decided he just be stripping it off at the end of mile two anyway.

Mike quickly wrote a note, just in case Marco woke up before he got back and quietly slipped out of the apartment. He bounded down the stairs, and then took a few minutes to stretch, warming up his muscles. He looked left, but decided to head to his right and go as far as the beach. He figured if he still had energy to burn he could run a mile or two on the sand and that should definitely give him a work-out.

Mike found his pace after just a few minutes, his stride growing longer as his muscles loosened up, his breathing finding the natural rhythm of an experienced runner. He rounded a corner and could see the beach not too far up ahead. Mike couldn't help but notice another runner not too far ahead of him. Even if he hadn't been able to see the long ponytail swishing down her back, he would've known the runner was a woman. She had shapely legs, a small waist and a very nice butt, even from this distance. He admired her form, she was obviously an experienced runner as well. Mike found himself increasing his pace to close the distance between them.

Mike figured she must've heard him approaching because she moved to her right, so he could pass her on the left. Mike wasn't in a hurry to leave the pleasant view of watching her from behind and he slowed slightly. The woman also slowed and moved further to the right. She gave a quick glance over her shoulder, but Mike was still too far back for her to see him clearly. With the sun just starting to lighten the sky, he couldn't see her features either, but he realized her stride had faltered and it dawned on him that he was making her nervous. Not wanting to scare her, he increased his speed slightly so she would be able to see him the next time she glanced over. "Good morning," Mike said, his voice still steady, as he really hadn't been pushing himself yet.

"Mike?" the woman slowed and turned to look at him.

"Meg!" Mike was shocked to find the runner was Meg.

"I didn't know you were a runner," Mike had stopped to jog in place, as Meg had stopped moving.

"I love it," Meg said. "It really helps me center my thoughts and get me ready for a day full of high-energy kids."

"I guess that's something we never got to share with each other," Mike said, his eyes sweeping over her body. Why had he never realized how beautiful she was before, he thought? Her cheeks were pink from running, but her ivory complexion was almost perfect. He adored the dimple that showed on her right cheek when she smiled at him. Her teeth were white and straight. He looked into her eyes and thought the color reminded him of the blue waters of the Caribbean.

"You're so beautiful," Mike heard himself saying, before he even realized he was going to say it.

Meg blushed and looked at the ground. She cleared her throat obviously not sure what to say. After a few seconds with Mike just looking at her, Meg looked back up at him. "What are you doing running over this way? This isn't near your apartment."

Mike's eyes clouded over as he was brought abruptly back to reality. "There was an explosion in the laundry room yesterday," Mike said, looking away from Meg. "The apartment complex is uninhabitable right now; I'm staying with Marco."

"Oh my gosh, Mike! Are you okay?" Meg stepped forward and put her hand on his arm.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"Was anyone else hurt?"

Mike shook his head. "Not bad. A teenage girl broke her ankle, some mild smoke inhalation."

"Do they think this is related to all the other problems you've been having?"

Mike nodded.

Meg leaned over and gave Mike a hug, but pulled back after just a few seconds. "I'm so sorry, Mike. If there's anything I can do, please let me know."

"How 'bout just run with me for a bit?"

Meg nodded. "Lead the way."

Mike started them off at a comfortable pace, not wanting to push Meg too hard, but it was only a few minutes before he realized he was a couple of steps behind Meg. He increased his speed slightly. They ran a few more minutes and he realized he was falling behind yet again. He picked up the pace. "How long do you usually run?"

"I've increased to 8 – 10 miles a day the last month, depending on how early I can drag myself out of bed. I'm thinking about entering the Thanksgiving day marathon," Meg said.

"Seriously? I've always wanted to do that," Mike said. "Maybe we can train together."

Meg didn't say anything.

Meg took the stairs down leading them to the beach.

Mike followed a few steps behind.

Rather than move to the smooth, hard sand near the water, Meg stayed further up the beach where the sand was deep and soft and much more challenging.

Mike found he had to push himself harder to keep up with her. He could feel the muscles in his legs and back fighting against the slide of the sand. Mike pushed to increase his speed to get up alongside of her again. They continued for two miles on the beach before Meg turned them back toward the streets. She took the stairs two at a time, forcing him to do the same.

"I usually take this back to my street, it's about 4 miles," Meg said.

Mike nodded. "I'm game," he said.

He picked up his pace to catch up to her when he again realized he was dropping behind. He looked over at her as he came alongside of her. Her cheeks definitely showed she was working harder and he noticed when she spoke to him her words were a bit more clipped and breathless.

Mike smiled. She was intentionally pushing him, forcing him to focus on his run so he couldn't think of all the other stuff that had gone on. It was exactly what he needed. He hadn't thought of anything other than his form, his muscles and not embarrassing himself in front of her for the last half hour. Mike couldn't help the laugh that escaped.

"What?" Meg looked over at him.

"I just realized what you're doing. I appreciate it, and it worked, but I'm ready to bring this down to a more reasonable long distance pace," Mike said, his words showing that the run was physically pushing him too.

"Oh good," Meg said, slightly breathless as she slowed down. "I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep up that pace."

"It was exactly what I needed, thank you."

Meg looked over at him and smiled.

They ran in companionable silence until they got to Meg's street. "This is me," Meg said, as they approached the street.

"I'm not on shift today. I'll take you home."

Meg didn't say anything, she just turned down her street. She slowed their pace to take them into a cool down as they headed toward her house. Meg stopped at her driveway and bent down to touch her toes, stretching out her muscles. Mike moved slightly so he was standing behind her so he could enjoy the view. Meg straightened up and reached her arms over her head, and then leaned to one side and then the other.

"I would really like to train with you," Mike said, bringing their conversation back to the marathon.

Meg shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Because of Caroline?" Mike asked. Meg looked down at the ground. "Or Joe?"

Meg looked back up quickly, surprised that Mike asked about Joe.

"I had breakfast with Johnny and Ainsley yesterday," Mike explained.

Meg let out a small sigh, "Does it matter?"

Mike looked at her without saying anything.

"I need to get in and get ready for work," Meg said, heading into the house.

Mike watched until she had closed the door. He turned to see Joe standing at his car a few houses down watching him. Mike turned and jogged in the opposite direction, heading back to Marco's apartment.

E

Meg shut her front door and leaned back against it. She waited a few seconds and then glanced out her window and watched Mike begin to run down the street. She felt a wave of anger wash over her. "What are you trying to do to me Mike? I just start trying to move on and you're telling me that I'm beautiful and asking me to spend time with you." Meg stormed toward her room, her anger growing with each step. "Not fair," Meg said, facing the strip of pictures she had stuck in her mirror when she rescued them the last time she'd been mad at Mike and had thrown them in the trash. "You're dating Caroline, I deserve to be happy and move on!"

Meg pulled the pictures off the mirror. She debated throwing them out, but instead moved to a spare bedroom down the hall. She pulled open the closet door and reached up to the top shelf, pulling down a plastic tote full of memorabilia. She threw the strip of pictures inside, and closed the list. She shoved the bin back up on the shelf. It was time to put Mike Stoker in her past.

E

"Do you like to jog?" Mike asked, as he and Caroline walked toward a bench to sit and have lunch. She'd suggested he come up to the library to have lunch with her. She had said she needed to take care of some stuff with the insurance company that night in regards to her car and wouldn't be able to meet him later; but she really wanted to see him.

Mike had packed them a lunch and they had managed to find a relatively secluded place to sit.

"Ugh, no," Caroline shook her head. "I don't like to get sweaty and luckily for me, this all comes naturally," Caroline indicated her thin physique.

Mike let his eyes follow her hands as she ran them down her body. She did have a very nice body. He'd spent all morning trying to figure out why he was so aware of Caroline's physical beauty, but had missed how beautiful Meg was. It had finally dawned on him that he and Meg had talked on the phone several times before they actually met in person. He was already drawn to her intelligence and her sense of humor when they finally met in person. He'd been so in tune with those aspects, that he hadn't put a lot of emphasis on how she looked. With Caroline, the initial attraction had been completely physical. What Mike needed to know was if there was more to his relationship with Caroline than physical attraction.

"What are some things you like to do?" Mike asked.

"I like spending time with you," Caroline said, resting her hand on Mike's knee and slowly moving it up his thigh, giving him a seductive smile.

"I like spending time with you too. But…"

Caroline leaned in and kissed him, stopping the rest of whatever he was going to say. When she pulled back, she adjusted the way she was sitting so she could face him easier. "I'm glad you came to meet me for lunch. I've been thinking a lot about our conversation yesterday. You're such a wonderful man, Mike. So, caring and brave; the way you charged into danger at the fire. And you are so loyal, I know I can trust you with my heart and you'll never betray me."

Mike looked down at her hands resting on his legs, not wanting to face her as the guilt of his time with Meg began to make his stomach churn.

"I've never met such an honorable man, one who always does the right thing," Caroline continued, the guilt Mike felt starting to make him squirm. "I really want us to take our relationship to the next level and I think the best way to do that is to start really bringing each other into our day to day lives. Not just the typical date environment."

Mike looked up at her, "Whatdya mean?"

"Well, for starters, can I come by and see the station?"

"You want to come see the station?" Mike asked, feeling a little caught off guard by this sudden change. Caroline had never seemed interested in knowing much about his job.

"Yes, I want to be able to picture things when you're talking about them. Then, maybe we can arrange to have dinner with Roy and his wife. I think that will be a little easier for me, since I don't think Ainsley likes me very much."

"What would make you say that?"

"She wasn't very nice to me when we were over there for her welcome home party," Caroline said, dropping her eyes and looking sad.

"Caroline, I'm sorry you felt that way. I'm sure Ainsley didn't mean it, she was probably just tired," Mike came to Ainsley's defense. He hadn't seen her being anything but polite, but Ainsley had come right out and told him she didn't like Caroline and maybe Caroline picked up on that.

"Oh, I'm sure," Caroline back pedaled. "But, I know she and Meg are friends and she really wanted you to date Meg. I just think it would be easier for me to be myself with Roy and his wife, Joanne, right?"

"Yes, Joanne."

"I just think it'd be easier to get to know them, first. Or maybe if Chet or Marco have a girl, we could go double-date with them," Caroline smiled at Mike. "I'd like to get to know your friends."

Mike blinked. This was a totally different Caroline. Maybe he had been the one keeping them from moving beyond the physical and now that he'd shown Caroline he cared about her by being worried about her, she was more willing to open up to him.

"We have the assembly tomorrow, so it probably isn't the best day to drop by the station, but what about the next shift on Monday? You could come by after work and maybe have dinner with us?"

Caroline smiled up at him. "I'd really like that. I want us to get to know each other better, on a deeper level."

"I'd like that too," Mike said.

Caroline leaned over and kissed him again. "I need to get back to work; I don't want to be late. Will you walk me back?"

"Of course," Mike quickly cleaned up their lunch, taking Caroline by the hand and walking back toward the library.

"I'm sorry I can't see you tonight," she said, when he got her to the employee entrance of the library. "But, can we see each other on Saturday night?"

Mike smiled down at her. "I'd ask my place or yours, but, my place is kinda out of the question."

Caroline ran a hand through his hair. "Why don't you come to my apartment. I'll make us dinner."

"I'd really like that."

"I'll see you Saturday night, say 6?"

"I'll be there," Mike watched her walk into work. That had gone much differently than he had anticipated, he thought as he walked back to his truck. He'd really thought this was going to be the conversation that moved them toward ending their relationship, instead, it had been the one to move them to getting more serious. Mike ran a hand through is hair, how did that happen?

E

Kate walked alongside the K-9 unit as the dog sniffed the area around the school.

"Do you really think this is necessary?" Principal Haggerty asked, walking a few steps behind her.

"Yes."

"Why?" Principal Haggerty was obviously frustrated at the one word answers Kate had been giving him over the last five minutes.

"Look, Principal Haggerty, I don't tell you how to run your school; I don't expect you to tell me how to keep it safe. There have been some incidents surrounding Fireman Stoker, given the events that transpired a year and a half ago where the school was targeted as part of the attack on Station 51, I don't intend to take any chances. Especially since Station 51 will be on school grounds today."

"Maybe I should just cancel the assembly."

Kate stopped walking, so she could look at the man. "We are doing a precautionary sweep with the dogs. During the assembly you'll have the fire department and police department on site. Myself and several other officers will be walking around the assembly area, blending in with the parents and teachers. We are going to keep the K-9 unit on-site, but technically off-duty, the kids will love them. I feel confident we can keep everyone safe, once you let me finish my security sweep," Kate emphasized the last few words.

Principal Haggerty nodded and walked away.

"I would not wanna work for that man," Officer Miller said, as he moved his dog toward the playground.

"Me either." Kate stopped moving and strained her eyes toward a wooden fort structure. There was someone in one of the enclosures. "Do you see that?"

"Yes, and so does Falco," Officer Miller said, as the dog's ears flattened against his head.

Kate and Officer Miller began to move toward the wooden fort.

"I think it's more than one person," Officer Miller whispered to Kate.

Kate reached under her jacket and released the clasp on her gun, the Officer followed suit. "That's Megan Trask," Kate whispered. "She's a teacher at this school and currently one of my suspects for these fires."

"Looks like she may have just moved to the top of the list."

"I can't believe you called the fuzz," a little boy yelled out.

Meg turned to see the approaching police officer and his dog, she saw Kate last.

"Jimmy, I didn't call the police. He's probably taking the dog for a walk before the assembly," Meg explained in a calm voice. "There isn't any reason to call the police. You haven't left school grounds, but you do need to go back in and join your class so you can participate in the assembly."

The little boy looked at the dog and then back at Meg. "Can I pet the dog first?"

Meg shook her head. "No, it appears the dog is working and he can't be disturbed, but you can pet him during the assembly. If you go back to your classroom right now."

The little boy stood up and started winding is way out of the fort. He walked slowly passed the dog, and then broke into a run toward the school building. Meg slowly extricated herself from the fort as well, brushing dirt and wood chips off her pants. Officer Miller watched her movements, glancing at items that fell to the ground.

"Your timing was perfect; I was starting to think I wasn't going to win that battle. Jimmy didn't come in from recess with his class. It's a substitute today and she didn't realize she was a student short. I just happened to see Jimmy climbing in here when I came out to start setting up tables for the assembly."

Kate looked back behind her at the distance between where the tables were being arranged and then back toward the fort. "That's a long distance," Kate observed.

"As a teacher you get used to seeing what you need to see," Meg laughed.

"Same as a police officer," Officer Miller observed.

Meg's smile faltered slightly. "I should get back to work."

Kate and Officer Miller watched Meg walk back toward the tables. When she'd gone about half the distance Officer Miller took a few steps toward the fort. He pulled a glove out of his pocket, slipped it on and bent over to pick up what at first glance looked like a thin stick to Kate.

"What is it?"

"A fuse."

"Like for dynamite?"

"Or homemade fireworks."

"Like was thrown through the Gage window?"

"Or like kids make to put down toilets," the officer stated.

"You found it right where Meg was standing."

"I watched it fall off her pants when she was brushing them off."

Kate looked at him and then back toward Meg who was working with another teacher to adjust some tables. "Do me a favor, walk Falco around the fort, make sure everything looks safe. I'll drop that in my evidence bag and see if they can find any prints." Kate reached into her jacket pocket and slipped on a glove. She took the fuse from Officer Miller and headed back toward her car as Falco began to search the fort structure.

E

Meg watched as the fire engine maneuvered into the parking lot and headed toward the designated area, the squad following directly behind. Meg forced herself to look away when she started to think how good Mike looked behind the wheel.

She took a few deep breaths. She needed to go over and address a few items. "I'll just work with Captain Stanley," Meg said out loud, forcing herself to move toward the fire engine. She watched as Mike opened the door and dropped to the ground. But, he didn't look at her, instead, he put his head down and moved to the side of the engine. Meg moved toward the other side of the engine, where Captain Stanley had just dropped to the ground and was moving toward the front of the engine.

"Captain Stanley," Meg approached and outstretched her hand. "Thank you so much for agreeing to be a part of our assembly. I have this table set up for the plastic helmets you said you were bringing. I made copies of the safety material you requested. It's already on the table. My understanding is that you'll allow the kids to sit in the engine, try on some of the gear, and give them brief talks about fire safety; emphasizing stop, drop and roll," Meg knew she was talking fast, she could feel her nerves on edge knowing Mike was moving around right behind her.

Captain Stanley smiled at her. "Thank you, Meg. I appreciate everything you've done. Yes, we'll help them put on gear, we'll discuss safety, especially stop, drop and roll and since you've got us so close to the grass, we can even have a few of them demonstrate it. Johnny and Roy were able to work out the ability to let the kids see how the biophone works, as long as they lines aren't busy with calls."

"That will be really neat; I'm sure they'll love it."

"Thank you for all the notes on the kids. I'm looking forward to seeing Jake."

"He's looking forward to seeing you too. You really made an impression on him."

Meg smiled at Captain Stanley and moved over to Johnny and Roy.

"Johnny, how's baby Grace?"

Johnny leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Beautiful and feisty. She's gonna be her momma's daughter."

Meg laughed. "I've heard you may have a special surprise for the kids."

Roy pulled the biophone out of the squad. "Hopefully, as long as Rampart doesn't start getting a lot of calls."

"Let's hope for peace and quiet," Meg crossed her fingers.

"I need to go check on the K-9 unit; they were a recent addition. I'll do my best to swing by later."

Roy watched Meg walk away and looked over at Mike, who was working really hard to ignore her. "We won't see her anywhere near here again."

"Nope." Johnny agreed.

The assembly was a huge hit, there were no problems, and everything went out without a hitch. But, Johnny and Roy had been right, Meg never came back over. As Mike climbed back into the engine to lead the way out of the school he briefly wondered why she hadn't come back over. Had he done something to upset her, or did she somehow know he'd decided to work on his relationship with Caroline. But, how would she know that?


	16. Chapter 16

Bang! Coffee splashed up to the ceiling and began to run down the wall as the coffee cup shattered from the impact of hitting the wall. "Damn kid!" The figured paced in the apartment, frustration building. The assembly was supposed to be a defining moment of sheer brilliance. The plan had been perfect, until that stupid kid ran out to the fort, disrupting a perfect plan.

"The school was supposed to be a shining moment to show off my skills," the figure complained to the empty apartment. Of course, the K-9 unit had been unexpected as well. That was not part of the original assembly plan. The kid may have actually been a blessing in disguise.

Having to watch as Stoker played the hero fireman though had been excruciating. He should've been the reason for so many injuries, instead the kids had fawned over the fire truck and laughed as Mike and his pals put them in turnouts and fire equipment that was way too big for their little bodies.

"Aaargh!" This time a container of juice flew through the air, orange juice joining the coffee stains on the wall.

The figure took a deep breath. This was far from over. A plan was already under way to get back at Mike Stoker. He thought he could just toy with people's lives, destroy their hopes and dreams; well he would soon learn a very hard lesson.

The figured moved toward the kitchen table and looked at the small container of iron oxide powder. A little salt, a little wire, some aluminum foil and pretty soon this would make just the right amount of thermite. A chemical mixture that burned so hot it could literally burn through asphalt. The trigger could be a long fuse that was created to slowly burn. The trick would be to ignite the fuse and have the burning end be where Mike wouldn't see it. It also had to be long enough to allow for a quick exit without being seen by anyone. That shouldn't be too hard though, you just had to fit into your environment.

E

Joe hurried around the car to open the door for Meg. The Greystone Mansion was their last stop on the historic home tour. He had saved it for last because he knew a great little Italian restaurant nearby that had seating on a deck that overlooked the water. They should be able to watch the sun set as they dined. He hoped it would be the perfect spot to have a very important conversation with Meg. Knowing she'd spent Thursday morning with Mike had been bugging him ever since he'd seen them. He had been walking out to his car to head to work when he'd spotted them standing on Meg's driveway. Joe was no fool, he knew Mike had been checking her out, and he knew they had history.

"I think you'll love this home," Joe said. "It's a 55-room Tudor-style mansion built in 1928 by Edward Doheny, the oil tycoon, for his son Ned. At the time, it was the most expensive home in California at a whopping $4 Million."

Joe led her around to the back of the house to the gardens first.

"It's beautiful. I can't imagine how amazing it would've been to live here," Meg commented.

"Unfortunately, for Ned, it wasn't that amazing. Just four-months after moving in Ned was killed in a murder-suicide with his personal secretary Hugh Plunkett. It was said Hugh Plunkett killed Ned for refusing to give him a raise, but a lot of people dispute that theory and think that Ned actually murdered Hugh and then killed himself."

"Really? How do you know all this?" Meg asked.

"I confess I've been to this house before; but I do love history and especially things that lend themselves to mysteries. I'm still mesmerized by news and stories about President Kennedy's death. I remember sitting in class and having the loud speaker come on and announce that President Kennedy had been assassinated. School was almost over anyway and those of us that could drive were allowed to leave. I can't even remember the drive home."

Meg did a quick mental calculation in her head. If Joe had been at least 16 when JFK was shot in 1963, that made him 30 now. A little older than she would have guessed, but not too old for her. Meg had just turned 24.

"I was in elementary school when JFK died. They didn't announce it in school. Instead a note was sent home to our parents advising them that they should talk to us about it before the next school day. I remember my parent's telling me about it, and knew it must be serious because my mom was crying; but it didn't mean a lot to me at that age."

They leisurely explored the gardens and the inside of the house itself. Joe held her hand, opened the doors and was able to give her little details since he'd done some previous research on the homes. Meg had enjoyed the day and the conversation. Joe was easy to talk to and they had a love of history in common.

As they came to the end of the tour, Joe suggested an Italian restaurant he knew for dinner. Meg readily agreed, she was having a nice time and not in a hurry to have the day end.

Meg admired the view as they were ushered to their seats on the balcony. The table was right at the railing and she and Joe were overlooking the water. The sun was just beginning to set and the sky was turning beautiful shades of pink and purple.

"It's so beautiful," Meg said, looking at the water.

"I agree," Joe said, looking only at Meg.

Meg blushed at his gaze.

"Meg," Joe reached across the table and took her hand. "I've had such a wonderful time with you, tonight and the other night at dinner."

"I've had a really nice time too."

"Meg, I want to be clear about my intentions. I'm 30 years old. I've had a lot of fun traveling over the past few years. My career is going the direction I want it to go. But, I'm tired of coming home to an empty house. I want to get married and start a family. And you're exactly the type of woman I'd want to do that with," Joe said, staring intently into her eyes.

"I'm not trying to pressure you," Joe quickly added, when Meg looked shocked at his words. "I just want to let you know that I'm not just trying to play games here. I'm not sure what the situation is between you and that Mike guy, but I want you to know what I'm serious about having a relationship with you."

Meg didn't say anything; her mind was spinning. She wanted to find someone to settle down with, she loved the idea of getting married and starting a family. She had let herself entertain the thought of having that with Mike and then he'd started dating Caroline. Now, here was Joe, offering her exactly what she wanted and her first thought was why couldn't he be Mike.

"I'm not looking for an answer tonight, Meg," Joe said, when he could tell that she was at a loss for what to say. "I meant it when I said I wasn't trying to pressure you. I just want you to know what I'm offering."

"Thank you, Joe. There isn't anything going on with Mike, just so you know."

"Well, I know you dated in the past and then I saw you with him the other morning. I didn't want you to think I was just ignoring the fact I may not be the only guy who's interested in you. In fact, I'd be surprised to find out it was only two of us," Joe smiled at her.

Meg laughed. "I assure you, there isn't a line."

Joe lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. "That's good to know."

They shared a nice meal and Joe kept the conversation light the rest of the evening, but Meg was making mental notes of all the things they had in common and all the areas where they would be so good together.

Joe drove them back to his house and parked the car in his driveway. He opened up her door and took her hand to walk her down the street to her house. He walked her to the door and waited for her to unlock it. He stepped in closer. "May I kiss you good-night?"

Meg swallowed and nodded.

Joe leaned in and gently pressed his lips to hers. He slowly slid his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. Meg returned the kiss and slipped her arms over his shoulders. Joe took that as a positive sign and deepened their kiss, his tongue parting her lips. Meg allowed the kiss to continue and returned the kiss equally.

Joe finally broke the kiss. "Good-night, Meg. Have sweet dreams."

"Good-night, Joe."

Meg entered the house and closed the door. Joe waited until he heard her slide the lock into place and then headed home, a big smile on his face.

Meg wiped her chin with the back of her hand, the kiss had been kinda sloppy.

Meg slipped off her shoes and walked toward her bedroom. Joe was such a nice guy; she knew she should be overjoyed at what he was offering her. On paper, Joe was perfect for her. He was good looking, had a good job, they shared a lot of the same interests, he liked her and wanted to settle down. There just wasn't a romantic spark. Kissing him had not been anywhere near as interesting as kissing Mike. But, Mike wasn't interested in being a part of her future hopes and dreams, Meg told herself, feeling the anger again at what she felt was Mike leading her on with his compliments and suggestions they train together. Yet, he was probably with Caroline right now, she thought.

Meg paced the room, feeling a ton of bottled up frustration. She pulled open her dresser drawer and quickly changed into her running shorts. She stopped at the kitchen table and picked up a small package, slipping it into a small zippered pocket in her shorts.

E

Mike carried his plate to the counter, where Caroline had begun to do the dishes. The meal, steak and potatoes with asparagus, had been excellent. Caroline had been a completely different person tonight and Mike was still trying to wrap his head around it. She was dressed slightly more subdued than normal, her hair pinned up rather than flowing freely. Her make-up was a bit softer, and she had the curtains open letting light into the house as they had dinner. Now that the sun was starting to set, she had lit several candles that set the mood for a romantic evening.

She smiled at him as she took his plate. "I just want to finish these up real quick. Why don't you help yourself to a cup of coffee and go relax in the living room? I'll be in shortly."

"I can help dry," Mike offered.

Caroline smiled at him "You mentioned you had a lot of calls last night, just go rest and I'll take care of this."

Mike poured himself a cup of coffee and walked into the hallway. He looked down the hallway toward the bedrooms of the apartment. He'd never been anywhere other than the living room and kitchen in Caroline's apartment. All the other doors were closed, and the hallway was dark, making the place look unwelcoming, even tonight.

Mike headed into the living room, but before he sat down on the couch he moved over to the record player to put on some music. He chose a record from Linda Ronstadt, and put it on the record player. The lyrics to "You're no good" filling the living room.

Mike listened to a few songs as he drank his coffee and listened to the faint sounds of Caroline doing the dishes. This is what our lives could be like, he thought.

A few minutes later, Caroline entered the room. "Would you like some more coffee?"

Mike shook his head, leaning forward and putting the empty cup on the coffee table. Caroline walked over and sat down next to him. The song "When Will I Be Loved" started to play.

"I really relate to this song," she said softly. "I've been waiting for you to break my heart. I'm really sorry I caused you so much worry the other day, but I just want to tell you again how much it meant to me that you were worried about me."

Mike slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. She snuggled up against him, but didn't push the physical contact. They sat there for a while, but Mike couldn't think of what to say to her. The whole evening had him feeling a little off his game, because it wasn't what he'd come to expect with Caroline.

"Can I get you anything else?" Caroline asked.

Mike smiled down at her. "I've got an idea of what I'd like for dessert."

Caroline giggled, getting his hint. She tilted her head so Mike could kiss her. Mike went through the motions of getting them comfortable on the couch, their bodies entwined. Caroline knew all the right moves to be seductive and she didn't hold back; but Mike just couldn't seem to get into their make-out session that night, something that was rarely a problem.

"Is something wrong?" Caroline asked, pulling back.

"I'm sorry, Caroline," Mike apologized and sat up. "I'm just not myself tonight."

"It's not surprising with the week you've had," Caroline said, running her fingers through his hair.

"I'm just gonna step into the bathroom for second; maybe splash some water on my face," Mike said, getting up from the couch. He walked down the hall and entered the small bathroom. He used the restroom and splashed some cold water on his face. "Get it together man," Mike said to his reflection in the mirror.

Mike walked back into the living room to find it empty. "Caroline?"

"Right here," Caroline said, moving back into the hallway from the kitchen. "I was packing you up a piece of pie. I put in an extra for Marco."

"You don't want to go back to the couch?" Mike asked, not really wanting to resume their make-out session, but feeling bad about the direction the night was heading and knowing it was his fault.

"It's okay, Mike. Everyone has off nights. I think the best thing is for you to go home and get some rest. I've got some stuff I've got to do tomorrow, but I'll see you at the station on Monday."

Mike nodded, knowing it was probably best he just leave.

Caroline stood at the door and watched him get into his truck. She waved as he pulled out of the parking space and then closed her door.

Mike looked for traffic before pulling out into the street, but hit his brakes as he started to move. "Is that Meg?" He asked out loud. A woman was jogging a few blocks to the left, she turned down a side street, but Mike could've sworn it was Meg. He pulled out of the parking lot and headed in the direction where he'd seen the woman turn. When he turned on the side street she was nowhere to be found. Mike drove up and down a few streets, but he never saw her again. He decided to give up and head back to Marco's.

It was then that he noticed the air in the truck was getting much hotter. When he tried to move his foot from the gas to the brake pedal, it felt like the soles of his tennis shoes were melting and sticking to the floor. Mike looked down and saw the floor of the truck smoking as the metal peeled away and glowing embers of burning metal lit up the inside of the truck. Mike pushed on the brake pedal trying to stop the truck, but nothing happened. Mike realized the brake lines had already been burned. Mike looked around, the truck was heading toward the main road. He could feel the skin on his legs starting to burn as more of the floor disappeared and the floor mats caught on fire. Mike had to get the truck stopped and he had to get it stopped right now.

Mike jerked the wheel hard to the right and a few seconds later felt the impact of the truck hitting the tree. His seat belt jerking him back when the impact pushed him forward. Mike reached to release the seatbelt and pushed open the truck door jumping clear as his pants started to burn. Mike hit the grass and rolled a few times to extinguish the flames. He got up as quickly as he could to move away from the truck as the flames began to melt the metal frame.

A few people began to come out of their house. "Call the fire department," Mike called out. "And the police."

Mike moved further back and looked down at his leg, the skin red and blistering from the heat. Some of the skin was charred and he could continue feeling it burn. He needed saline solution and sterile sheets to wrap the skin; but it was unlikely that was going to happen until the paramedics arrived. Mike knew from his location that it would be Station 24 arriving on scene; which meant Bryce. Mike shook his head, at this point, he just wanted someone to help stop the burning pain.

Mike worked to keep people back as he watched his truck literally melting from the extreme heat of the fire, the tree caught fire and began to burn like a giant torch in the street.

Mike could hear the sirens in the distance. He watched as Engine 24 pulled up, the guys pulling two lines to extinguish the truck and the tree. Mike knew the danger with the tree was they exploded when they got too hot. He'd been in enough forest fires to know that was one of the most dangerous aspects of fighting those fires. One tree didn't make the danger any lower. The guys kept their distance, but were quickly dousing the flames.

He felt someone touch his arm, and by reflex jerked away, his hands coming up to defend himself.

"Relax, Mike. Let me look at your leg," Bellingham said, taking a step back from Mike.

Mike nodded. Bellingham took his arm and helped him walk a few feet to the porch of nearby home. "Do you mind if I have him sit on your porch?" Bellingham asked the family. "I need to look at his legs."

The man nodded.

"Can I get you anything?"

"This isn't a social call, Martha, go back inside," the man said.

"Actually, if you could get him a glass of water, that'd be great," Bryce said, joining them. He had the biophone in one hand and the first aid kit in the other.

"I'm okay," Mike said.

They both ignored him as Bellingham worked on cutting away what was left of Mike's pant legs.

"It's only my left leg," Mike said.

Bryce shook his head. "Both your legs are burnt. The left is probably just hurting bad enough you haven't been paying attention to the right; but you've got a nice first degree burn on the right to accompany the second degree burns on your left."

Mike ignored what Bryce and Bellingham were doing to his legs and instead watched as the firemen fought to extinguish his truck, that was more a smoldering pile of metal at this point.

"Nice job stopping the truck," Kate said, moving to sit down next to him.

Mike looked up and said nothing.

"I'm guessing from this location you were at Caroline's?"

Mike just nodded.

"Was she ever out of your sight?"

Mike looked at her.

"Someone did this," was all Kate said.

"I went to the bathroom briefly, but she wouldn't have had time to plant anything in my truck."

"Did you see anything unusual when you got to her apartment? When you were leaving?"

"I thought I saw Meg," Mike said.

"What?" Kate said, looking over at Mike.

"I thought I saw Meg jogging down the street. I turned to follow her, but I never saw her again."

"Are you sure it was Meg?"

Mike shook his head. "No. I really thought it was though. But, I can't think of any reason she'd be over here."

"Maybe looking for you."

Mike shook his head. "She doesn't know where Caroline lives."

"Maybe she does."

"Whatdya mean?"

"I had Caroline's address on my desk when I interviewed Meg. She could've easily seen the address and remembered it."

Mike shook his head again. "I don't believe Meg would do this."

Kate lifted a walkie-talkie to her mouth. "Dispatch, send a unit over to Megan Trask's home please. See if she's home and get an alibi for where she was in the last two-hours."

"I'll call Johnny and have him meet you at the hospital," Kate said, as she watched Bellingham begin to wrap Mike's leg in a sheet he'd just doused with saline solution.

"That's okay," Mike said. "I'll call Marco and have him pick me up. I don't want to bother Johnny."

"You don't want to call Caroline?" Kate asked, her eyes narrowing.

"You just asked me if I thought she could have been the one that did this," Mike said, pointing to his truck. "Do you want me to call her?"

"I'm curious as to why you don't want to? Did something happen between the two of you?" Kate asked, she watched Mike's reaction.

He became very still, other than tilting his head to the side and averting his eyes. "Did something happen?" Mike repeated. "No, nothing happened. We just had an off night; completely my fault. I'm a bit tired from work last night."

Kate picked up on the subtle tells that Mike wasn't being honest with her. But, in this case, she doubted he was being honest with himself either.

"I can call Marco for you," Kate said, handing Mike a small notebook. "Write his number down for me, okay."

Mike scribbled the number and handed the notebook back to Kate as the ambulance pulled up and an attendant jumped out to begin pulling out the gurney. Bellingham helped him stand up, while Bryce was cleaning up their equipment.

Mike got on the gurney and laid back. He closed his eyes, his head starting to pound in rhythm to his pulse. Mike took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, trying to help himself control the pain that was starting to make his leg twitch as the nerves realized they were injured.

Kate watched as they loaded Mike into the ambulance. "May I use your phone?" Kate asked the homeowner.

"Of course," the woman said, opening the door and leading Kate into the house.

Kate picked up the phone and dialed Marco's number. When she didn't get an answer she hung up and flipped several pages in her notebook until she found Johnny's number. Ainsley answered on the second ring. "Gage residence."

"Hi, Ainsley, it's Detective Kate Stryker."

"Is everything okay?" Ainsley instantly felt a sense of fear.

"There's been a fire. Mike's legs were burned; they're talking him to Rampart now."

Ainsley heard the ambulance siren start in the distance through the phone. "I'll send Johnny right away."

"Mike asked me to call Marco, but I didn't get an answer."

"We'll take care of him, Kate." Ainsley assured her. "He should be with us so Johnny can help care for his burns. If they even release him from the hospital tonight."

"I'll check-in at the hospital shortly," Kate said. "If they release him, I'll have extra patrols in the area to make sure your family is safe."

"Thank you." Ainsley hung up the phone and moved quietly down the hall toward the nursery where Johnny was rocking Grace to sleep.

She stood in the doorway and watched as Johnny stood up and carefully put their daughter into her crib. Ainsley waited until he joined her in the hall before she spoke in hushed tones. "There's been another fire. Mike's legs were burned, they're taking him to Rampart right now. He wanted Kate to call Marco, but she couldn't reach him."

"Keep the doors locked and keep Chief with you," Johnny said, as he quickly moved into their bedroom to find his wallet and keys.

"Bring him back here, if they release him," Ainsley said. "Kate said she'd increase patrols to watch the house. Mike's gonna need you to help treat his wounds."

Johnny stopped next to her and gave her a kiss. "We'll see."

Johnny walked past Chief on the way out the back door. "Protect, Chief."

Chief stood up and walked to the door with Johnny. When Johnny walked out the door, Chief made a circle around the interior of the house. His ears up, he stopped by each room and just stood for several seconds before finally moving to sit in the living room.

Ainsley moved to sit down too, wondering exactly what happened this time.

E

"How bad is it, doc?" Johnny asked, as he walked into the treatment room where Mike was.

"First degree burns on his right leg, second degree burns on his left calf; most of it is superficial, but he has about 10% deep second degree burns. We've treated them and are just finishing wrapping his legs. He should be ready to go soon."

"I told Kate to call Marco."

"He wasn't home."

"I'm not going home with you Johnny; it's too dangerous."

"You need someone that can change your bandages tomorrow," Johnny said.

"Agreed," said Dr. Morton said.

"Kate said she'd increase patrols. Between that and Chief, my house will be the safest place to be," Johnny said. "We'll swing by Marco's on the way to my house to pick up some stuff."

Mike could tell by the look on Johnny's face that arguing was going to be pointless. He simply nodded.

E

Kate pulled up behind the patrol car, got out and walk up to the Officer who was leaning against the car.

"She's not home. But, dispatch just called. The fire investigator says the cause of the truck fire was thermite."

"Go ahead and get back on patrol. I want extra cars around the Gage neighborhood. Right in front of their house would be a great place to take lunch breaks for the all the units working tonight," Kate said, making her point clear.

"Got it, Detective," the Officer got back in his car and pulled away as Kate walked back and sat in her car waiting for Meg to return from wherever she was.

Kate sat up a bit straighter as a jogger turned the corner onto the street. Mike said he thought he saw Meg jogging. Kate watched as Meg slowed down and walked the last few houses before turning into her driveway.

"Megan Trask," Kate called her name, as she got out of her car. "I need to ask you a few questions."

Meg dropped her head, and then looked up and nodded.

"Can we go inside?" Kate asked.

Meg seemed to think about it for a few minutes; but finally nodded.

She walked into the house, Kate following closely behind her.

"Can I ask where you've been?" Kate asked.

"I went for a jog."

"Do you always jog at night?"

Meg shook her head. "No."

"Then why tonight?"

"I just needed to clear my head," Meg said.

Kate glanced around the room and froze as she looked at the kitchen table. She looked at Meg and then moved over toward the kitchen table. "Is this iron oxide?" Kate picked up the small container on the table.

Meg nodded. "I'm using it for a science experiment next week with the kids. We're creating magnetic slime."

"This is also used to create thermite," Kate observed. "Were you by Caroline's apartment tonight?"

Meg looked at her.

"Were you?"

Meg dropped her eyes and slowly nodded.

"Megan Trask, you're under arrest for arson and aggravated assault against Mike Stoker. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to…"

"What happened to Mike?"

"As if you don't know," Kate said. "He saw you jogging away from the apartment. Right before the thermite burned his truck into a pile of melted metal."

Meg looked up, her eyes wide. "You don't think I did that, do you?"

"Iron oxide is used to create thermite," Kate said bluntly.

"It's also used in magnetic slime," Meg said. "I can show you the recipe and the directions for the science experiment," Meg moved to grab a book off her bookshelf.

"Don't move," Kate said, putting her hand on her gun.

Meg stopped abruptly and looked at Kate. "I'd never hurt anyone; and certainly not Mike."

"I recommend you wait to speak until you have a lawyer," Kate said, removing her handcuffs. "Put your hands behind your back." As Kate put the cuffs on Meg, she continued reciting her Miranda rights.

"Do you understand these rights as I have explained them to you?"

"Yes," Meg whispered.


	17. Chapter 17

Ainsley carried two beers into the living room. She handed one to Johnny, but looked at Mike. "They didn't give you any pain meds, right?"

Mike smiled at her. "Two aspirin."

Ainsley handed him the beer.

"I'm glad you're okay." Ainsley moved to sit down next to Johnny.

"And I'm really sorry about your truck," Johnny said.

Mike dropped his head. After a few seconds he took a long swig from the beer can.

Ainsley jumped when the phone rang. Johnny reached over and rested a hand on her knee. "I'll get it," he said, giving her leg a reassuring squeeze.

"No, I'm okay. I'll get it," Ainsley said, taking a deep breath and getting up to head toward the kitchen to get the phone.

"I'm really sorry, man. She's scared because of what this stuff surrounding me has done to her. I shouldn't be here," Mike said.

"She's the one who told me to bring you here."

Mike looked over at Johnny. "You've got a pretty amazing wife, you know that."

Johnny lifted his beer can, "I do."

Mike took another drink.

"Johnny."

Johnny and Mike both looked up at the tone in Ainsley's voice.

"That was Meg; she's been arrested."

"For what?" Mike and Johnny said in unison.

Ainsley looked at Johnny and then over at Mike. "For arson and aggravated assault against Mike."

"I told Kate there was no way Meg did this."

Ainsley moved over and sat down on the couch. "They found iron oxide in her apartment. And Meg admitted to being at Caroline's apartment."

Johnny and Mike exchanged glances. "The fire was caused by thermite," Johnny said.

Mike shook his head. "I don't care what they found."

"Bond is set at $500," Ainsley said, looking at Johnny.

"You can't be serious."

"Johnny, I can't leave her sitting in jail. She doesn't have anyone else to call."

Johnny just looked at his wife.

"I'll pay you back," Mike said. "I've got that in my savings account. I'll pull it out first thing in the morning, if you can cover it tonight."

Johnny looked over at Mike. "She's accused of attacking you. She had the material to make thermite and the fire was caused by thermite. She was at Caroline's apartment. She didn't have any reason to be there Mike. Maybe she's not as sweet as we all think she is."

"There was a lot of reasons for people to suspect Ainsley when it was Tim too. But, you never doubted her."

Johnny looked at his wife and then back over at Mike. "No, I didn't. But, I knew Ainsley."

"And I know Meg."

Johnny looked at Mike for a long time. "Yeah, yeah, maybe you do."

"I'll go get the money." Ainsley got up and walked to their bedroom. They kept a safe in the closet with some money and other important papers. Ainsley quickly opened the safe and withdrew $500. Johnny joined her in the bedroom as she was closing the safe back.

"I'll go."

"I think Meg would be more comfortable if it was me. Besides, I need to talk to her. I don't understand why she was at Caroline's and why she had stuff to make something that could do that kind of damage."

"Do you think maybe she could've done this?"

Ainsley bit her lip. "I want to say no. But, until I walked into that library with Tim pointing that gun at me," Ainsley shook her head. "I never would've thought it was Tim. What if I'm wrong about Meg? I mean, I've only known her a year. Not even really. We met when she started teaching at the school, but we didn't really become friends until we worked on that Christmas play together."

Johnny pulled Ainsley into a hug. "If she's fooling you, she's got me and Mike fooled too."

"So did Tim." Ainsley said.

"So you're still gonna bail her out?"

Ainsley looked up at Johnny and nodded. "But, let's just say I intend to ask questions, and not necessarily take answers at their face value."

"Now I really don't like you going alone."

"I'll be okay. I'm not the one she's after."

"Yet you were the one that was hit with a homemade firework that almost took your life, and Grace's life. If Meg is behind this, she did that."

Ainsley shook her head. "There's no way, Meg did that. She couldn't of."

"Be careful," Johnny warned.

As soon as Ainsley walked out the door, Johnny went back into the living room and searched through the rolodex on the desk. He pulled out Kate's business card and walked back into the kitchen to the phone.

"Kate, it's Johnny."

"Is everything okay? Mike okay?" Kate asked.

"Ainsley's on her way to bail out Meg."

Kate was quiet on the other end of the line.

"Kate?"

"I'm here."

"I'm worried about her."

"You should be. Meg had means, motive and opportunity. She had the material to make thermite. She was at Caroline's apartment and could've easily planted the thermite on Mike's truck. When we searched the parking lot, there were burn marks indicating a really long fuse and from what material is left, we believe some type of slow burning material was used so it took a long time to get to the thermite. Giving the person who lit the fuse plenty of time to get away from the truck."

"And motive."

"Meg still has very strong feelings for Mike. She feels like he's stringing her along; whether intentionally or not, she's angry. Add anger to love and it becomes a very dangerous combination."

"Mike wouldn't intentionally string a woman along," Johnny defended his friend.

"It doesn't matter what he's actually doing Johnny. It matters how she feels."

"What should I do? Ainsley's already on her way to the station."

"I'll have plain clothes officers keep an eye on them," Kate assured him. "But, don't bring Meg back to your house; seeing Mike could be a catalyst to a desperate act."

"Ainsley was intending to bring her back to her house."

"Look Johnny. I'm not giving up investigating Kevin Costas, or even Caroline for that matter. But, I'm gonna be looking a lot closer at Megan Trask too. I'll make sure Ainsley gets Megan dropped off and back home safely. You have my word."

"Thanks, Kate." Johnny hung up the phone. He grabbed two more beers out of the fridge and walked into the living room, handing one to Mike.

"Kate really believes Meg is behind this?"

"Are you 100% certain she isn't?" Johnny asked Mike.

Mike looked at Johnny and said nothing. Instead he just took a big drink of his beer.

E

"Thank you again for bailing me out," Meg said, as Ainsley pulled into her driveway. The two had said very little since Ainsley had arrived at the police station.

Ainsley looked over at her. "Meg, why were you at Caroline's apartment?"

Meg turned to look out the passenger window. "I've asked myself that a thousand times tonight already."

"And what's the answer?"

"Joe told me he wanted to get serious tonight. He told me he isn't playing games and he's looking to get married and have a family. He told me he wants that with me," Meg said, still looking out the window.

She paused for a long time and Ainsley began to wonder if she was going to say anything else.

"I ran into Mike the other day. Literally, I was out jogging and ran into him. He told me I was beautiful. He asked if we could train for the Thanksgiving marathon together."

Ainsley could tell that Meg was crying.

"And tonight, when Joe was telling me that he wants a future with me, I was thinking about Mike. I saw Caroline's address on Kate's desk the other day. I was hoping I'd go by and Mike wouldn't be there. I hoped that all that stuff he said, was him realizing that I was the one he really wanted," Meg sniffed and turned back to face Ainsley, wiping her eyes.

"I'm such an idiot. Of course, he was there. I can't compete with someone like her. I'm blowing my chances of being happy with Joe because I can't let go of a guy who doesn't want me," Meg began to sob. "Why would he tell me I was beautiful?"

Ainsley leaned forward and hugged Meg. Ainsley understood how she felt. She'd felt very similar with Johnny when he'd put together the crib for Hunter and then kissed her. She hadn't known he'd broken up with Kate by that point because he knew he loved her. She thought he was just using her. She'd been devastated. She remembered screaming at him to get out of her apartment, and then sitting on the floor and just sobbing.

"Why did you have iron oxide, Meg?"

Meg wiped her cheeks and looked at Ainsley. "I was going to make magnetic slime with the kids next week."

Ainsley nodded. She'd done similar experiments with her class. It was a great way to get the kids excited about science and the materials were easy to buy.

"You know this doesn't look good Meg. You'll have to go to court and Principal Haggerty will suspend you for sure."

Meg nodded.

"Are you going to be okay financially?"

"I have some money from my dad," Meg said quietly.

"If you need any help, just let me know," Ainsley offered.

"Thank you, Ainsley. I don't know what I would've done without you. I've never felt more alone than I did tonight. I realized I didn't have anyone to call."

"You had me, and you were smart enough to call."

Meg nodded and then turned to look back out the passenger window toward Joe's house. "I'm tired of coming home to an empty house. I want a husband and a family," Meg said quietly. "And I'm done chasing after a man that doesn't want me."

"I wouldn't be so sure Mike doesn't want you," Ainsley said.

"Please don't, Ainsley. I've spent enough time deluding myself. I'm tired of being the fool in whatever game Mike Stoker is playing," Meg opened the door and got out.

Ainsley waited in the driveway until Meg got into the house and closed the door. Ainsley pulled out of the driveway and watched as a car pulled out from another side street and got behind her. She would have been worried, but she recognized it as the car that had been following them since they left the station. Ainsley smiled willing to bet that Johnny had something to do with her police escort. She wished Meg could find the happiness that she had found with Johnny.

E

"Michael Charles Stoker, what the heck is wrong with you?"

Mike and Johnny both looked up shocked as Ainsley burst into the living room.

"What?" Mike said, looking around to see what if he'd left his beer on the coffee table without a coaster, or spilled any of the chips he and Johnny'd been snacking on.

"Why on earth would you tell Meg she was beautiful while you're dating Caroline?" Ainsley stood over him, her hands on her hips.

Mike looked up at Ainsley and then over at Johnny before looking down at the carpet.

"And asking her to train with you for the Thanksgiving marathon. Seriously?"

"She said she was thinking about running the marathon. I've always wanted to do it. I thought it'd be nice having someone to train with."

"After I'd just told you she was dating Joe? While you're dating Caroline? Meg likes you, you know that. You're playing with her heart. I can't believe you would be that cruel," Ainsley berated him.

"That isn't what I was doing," Mike protested.

"Ainsley, I think you're being a little hard on him." Johnny defended Mike.

"You think that 'cause you're a guy," Ainsley said, her voice angry.

Ainsley took a deep breath and sat down. "Women aren't like men. We don't take things at face value. We're always looking for a hidden meaning."

"That's cause women are always trying to just drop hints we're supposed to figure out rather than just say what they're thinking or what they want," Johnny said to Mike.

"Bottom line, Meg was hoping you telling her she was beautiful and you asking to train with her was because you were realizing that you wanted to be with her."

Mike looked at Ainsley, but didn't say anything.

"Joe told her he wants to have a serious relationship with her; and she's holding back because she still cares about you. She was hoping she'd go by Caroline's apartment and you wouldn't be there," Ainsley paused. "But, you were."

"She deserves someone better than Joe," Mike said.

"Stop it," Ainsley ordered.

Mike and Johnny both looked at her, shocked at her tone.

"Joe's a nice guy, with a good job, who wants to get married and have a family. He thinks he'd like that with Meg. She deserves to be happy. If you don't want her, Mike, you need to let her move on."

Ainsley put up her hand when Mike looked like he might say something. "That means, you don't go jogging with her, you don't tell her she's beautiful and you don't ask her to spend months of time with you training for a marathon. Leave her alone, Mike."

"What if I don't want to leave her alone?" Mike asked, his tone one of misery mixed with confusion.

"Unless you know that with 100% certainty, you be a gentleman and you leave her alone," Ainsley stood up. "I'm exhausted and going to bed. Eggs, bacon and sausage for breakfast?"

Johnny nodded, his eyes on Mike.

Johnny waited until Ainsley walked down the hallway and closed their bedroom door. "When I was dating Kate, you knew that Ainsley was the woman I really loved. How did you know that?"

"You were never quite yourself with Kate," Mike said. "I mean, you were more reserved, and normal," Mike smiled at Johnny. "But, you weren't really you. You didn't change when you were with Ainsley, but she does bring out the best in you."

"Are you yourself with Caroline?" Johnny asked.

Mike shrugged.

"Does Caroline bring out the best in you?"

Mike shrugged again.

"What about Meg?"

Mike looked up at him.

"Answer those questions, and you'll know what to do," Johnny stood up and put a hand on Mike's shoulder briefly before he walked down the hallway toward his bedroom.

Johnny climbed into bed and wrapped his arms around Ainsley. "I'm so glad I have you."

"I love you," Ainsley whispered. "I just wish Meg could find what we have. Joe's a nice guy, but she's in love with Mike."

"I'm pretty sure Mike's in love with her too."

"I know, but when I hinted at that, Meg told me to stop. If Mike doesn't realize it pretty soon; it's gonna be too late."

Johnny kissed Ainsley and pulled her closer.

In the living room, Mike lay on the couch, putting his arm behind his head and staring at the ceiling. Was he himself with Caroline? They had a very physical relationship, but tonight when it wasn't all physical, he hadn't really known how to interact with her. Was that because all they had was physical, or because it was a new change in their relationship; or had he really just been tired?

Mike turned on his side. Did he tell Meg she was beautiful because he was trying to keep her from getting over him and moving on to Joe? Did he want to train with her to keep her in his life, and if yes, did he see keeping both her and Caroline. He knew Caroline wouldn't be okay with that arrangement any more than Meg would be.

So who did he really want to be with? Mike flipped back over to look at the ceiling. Ainsley's words repeating in his mind. "Unless you know with 100% certainty, you be a gentleman and leave her alone."


	18. Chapter 18

Eric reached over and touched Kate's hand.

"Sorry," Kate said, turning her attention back to her fiancé.

"A case hasn't gotten to you like this since Tim was tormenting Station 51."

"This case is driving me crazy!" Kate said. "I'm sorry, this isn't fair to you. We're supposed to be planning our wedding and I've been so distracted we haven't even managed to accomplish one thing."

"Tell me what you're thinking," Eric encouraged her. Moving the wedding magazines off the table and carrying them over to the counter. He carried back Kate's work file and the coffee to refill her cup.

"Are you sure?"

"I miss working cases with you."

That was all the encouragement Kate needed. "Okay," she said, adjusting her position in the chair so she could reach her work file and get comfortable. Eric added cream and sugar to her coffee while she flipped through the file, pulling out some pictures.

"Meg has means, motive and opportunity," Kate said. "But, I just don't see her as my arsonist. I mean, she's smart enough, but…," Kate paused.

"Go on," Eric encouraged.

"That explosion at Mike's apartment, Kevin Costas should have just left his business card. That was his classic m.o. when he was setting buildings on fire before. The detonator from the explosion at the house that damaged the engine, again classic Kevin. He has every reason to hate Mike. Mike was the witness that put him at the fires and the testimony that cinched his conviction with the jury. And then, there's Mike's girlfriend Caroline."

"What about her?"

"I just don't like her," Kate said.

"Not liking someone doesn't make them an arsonist," Eric said. "The same as liking Meg doesn't make her innocent."

"I know. I just can't figure out what Mike sees in her," Kate said. "Mike is probably the man at Station 51 that I know the least about; he's always been on the quiet side. But, I just don't see him with someone like Caroline and I can't figure out what hold she's got on him."

Eric reached over and pulled Caroline's picture out of the paperwork in Kate's file. "I know what he sees in her."

"She's not that pretty," Kate said.

"She's sexy," Eric said. "Guys are very visual; this may not keep us around for long, but it'll keep us for a while," Eric said, holding up the picture of Caroline.

"There's got to be more to it than that."

"There really doesn't. Men like sex; it's a big deal. Having a hot looking woman on your arm gives you status. Caroline is overtly sexy; she's not the girl you think about taking home to meet mom, but she is a girl you think about taking home."

"Should I be worried?" Kate asked annoyed that Eric was going on and on about how sexy Caroline was.

"I'm just pointing out Caroline can definitely get a man's attention."

"But, keep a man who's deeper than just sex?"

"Maybe there's more to her than you see?"

Kate shook her head. "There's something about her all right, but I don't think it's good."

"Okay, to recap, Kevin has the experience and skill to pull off the fires that have happened so far. He's got the motive for wanting to get back at Mike."

Caroline nodded. "Yes, but he was under observation at the time the bomb would've had to been set when Mike was injured. So, we know he couldn't have set that bomb."

"Meg, also has motive, and most likely has the skill."

Kate nodded.

"You don't like Caroline, but does she have the skill to pull off these fires?"

Kate frowned. "I doubt it. She doesn't strike me as very smart, and I can't find any criminal background."

"Is there a possibility there is a fourth suspect out there?"

"I haven't found any threads leading me to anyone else."

"Then we need to really focus in on these three. Of them, Kevin is the most likely suspect, correct."

"Except we know he couldn't have done at least one of the bombs," Kate reminded him.

"So maybe we need to start looking to see if any of our lady friends' lives intersect with Kevin's."

"Accomplices?"

"It makes sense. Kevin could do the intricate device creation, and set them when needed, but his accomplice could set those that don't require particular expertise and allow Kevin to develop an alibi for some of the crimes."

Kate thought over the idea. "It makes sense. But, how would either Caroline or Megan have met Kevin? He' been in prison for 6 years, and has only been on parole a few months."

"I think we've got to see if there is a way they interacted. Maybe they even knew each other before he went to prison."

Kate thought about it for a few minutes. "So we start with checking out Kevin's time in prison?"

"Road trip," Eric said, sliding back away from the table.

"Now?" Kate sounded surprised.

"Sure, why not? And, while we drive, we'll look over some of the wedding magazines and make some plans."

Kate laughed. "I love you."

"I love you too; now let's go hang out in a prison records room."

"If you play your cards right, maybe I'll let you sneak in a kiss between the rows of records," Kate teased.

"Yes!" Eric pumped his fist in the air.

Kate laughed again.

Eric called the prison to advise them that they were coming for a visit, while Kate packed a bag with wedding magazines and M & M's for snacking.

E

Joe changed directions from heading toward his kitchen to head toward the front door at the sound of his doorbell. He opened the door and was pleasantly surprised to see Meg standing there. She had a breakfast tray with two mugs of coffee, blueberry muffins, butter, cream and sugar.

"Well this is a pleasant surprise. Please, come in," Joe stepped back to allow Meg to enter his home.

Meg entered, looking a bit uncomfortable.

Joe took the tray from her. "You brought breakfast. Do you want to sit on my patio?"

"That'd be nice. It's already a beautiful day."

Joe led the way to the patio, balancing the tray as he opened the sliding door. He let Meg step out first, then carried the tray over to the patio table and went back to close the door.

Meg sat down and looked at Joe.

He smiled. Then took his time, giving them each a cup of coffee and a muffin. He cut his muffin in half and spread a generous amount of butter. The muffins were still warm and the butter started to melt slightly. He took a bite. "Meg, these are wonderful."

"I baked them this morning."

"Did you use fresh blueberries? This does not taste like something out of box."

"I made them from scratch. It was my mom's recipe."

Joe heard the sadness in her voice.

"What happened to your mom?"

"She and my sister were killed in a car accident when I was 16."

"I'm so sorry, Meg. I had no idea."

"I'm afraid I came over here to tell you something that isn't going to be easy to say or hear," Meg said, wanting to change the subject, but also just wanting to get this over with.

"Okay," Joe said, putting down the coffee cup.

"I was arrested last night."

"What?" Joe looked completely shocked. "Why? What happened?"

"Someone used thermite to set Mike's truck on fire. I had iron oxide at my home for a science experiment for my class. Iron oxide is used to create thermite," Meg explained.

Joe shook his head. "I don't understand; how did that get you arrested?"

Meg took a deep breath. "When you dropped me off last night, I was feeling a little confused. I went out for a jog."

Joe waited. When Meg didn't say anything else he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Meg, I still don't understand how that got you arrested."

"I ran over to Mike's girlfriend's apartment."

"Why?"

"I wanted to know if he was there."

Joe looked hurt. "I thought you told me Mike wasn't in the picture."

"Mike and I dated for about a month several months ago. I really liked him, and I thought we were heading toward something serious," Meg started, looking down at her hands that rested in her lap. "But, then my dad got sick and I had to go take care of him. I thought I'd get maybe a year with my dad and I didn't think it was fair to try to hold on to a long-distance relationship that long, so I ended things with Mike; but we were still talking on the phone. Until Mike met Caroline and he moved on with her."

"And you're not over him," Joe stated for her.

"I want to be," Meg said. "But, if I'm being completely honest, no, I'm not over him."

Joe looked down at the table.

"Yet," Meg said, reaching for Joe's hand. "I thought I was getting there. I was really excited about our first date and was looking forward to seeing you again. But, then I ran into Mike jogging and he told me he thought I was beautiful and asked me to train with him for the Thanksgiving marathon and I thought he was trying to tell me he wanted me back," Meg looked down, ashamed at her stupidity and feeling bad that she knew her words would be hard for Joe to hear, but she wanted to be honest with him.

"He's leading you on," Joe said, his voice carrying hurt and anger.

"Probably," Meg whispered.

Joe took another bite of blueberry muffin, and drank some of the coffee. His emotions were at war. He really liked Meg, but he certainly didn't want to be a consolation prize.

"Are you okay?" Joe asked, looking at Meg.

Meg nodded.

"I take it you're out on bail? Do you need any money?"

Meg shook her head. "Thank you for the offer. I didn't mean to hurt you, Joe."

"I told you I wouldn't be surprised to find out I wasn't the only guy interested in you, Meg. You're the one that said there wasn't a line."

"There isn't Joe. This isn't about Mike wanting me."

"It's about you wanting him," Joe said sadly.

Meg felt terrible. "I'm so sorry, Joe. I really do think you're amazing. You're handsome, and smart, we have so much in common."

"It's just not enough."

"I just need more time."

"I suppose it doesn't help with him still stringing you along," Joe said.

Meg pulled her hands back into her lap. Knowing that Mike was just playing games with her and hearing it from someone else were two different things.

"I'm sorry; I shouldn't have said that," Joe said, realizing he'd upset Meg.

"It's the truth," Meg whispered.

"Look, if this guy can't figure out that he's the luckiest man in the world to have you in love with him, then he's an idiot," Joe said.

Meg looked up at him.

"I appreciate you being honest with me, Meg," Joe stood up and moved away from the patio table. He looked out over his backyard. "I wish you were available for a relationship, but it's obvious you're not."

"Maybe in the future," Meg said, not sure how she wanted to end this. Joe was a really great guy, and if Mike had not been in the picture maybe she'd have been in love with him.

Joe turned to look at her. "Maybe," he said, without much conviction.

Meg stood up and Joe moved over to open the sliding glass door. He followed Meg through the house and stood at the door to make sure she got back to her house safely. Meg turned as she opened her door and saw Joe closing his door. She felt a tear escape down her cheek. She'd just lost a great guy that wanted her because she was hung up on a guy that didn't. As Meg closed the door, she realized she'd just lost something else. "I loved that breakfast tray set," she said, realizing she'd left it sitting on Joe's patio. There was no way she was going back to ask for it.

E

"I'll call Roy and he can give you a second opinion," Johnny said.

"I think I'd rather my second opinion come from a doctor," Mike said, in a huff.

"Fine, I'll drive you to Rampart. But, I'm tellin' ya, you're not gonna be able to work tomorrow. The right leg is healing well, but the left has some areas that really shouldn't have you climbing in and out the engine, moving your leg to drive and you certainly aren't in a position to do any physical activities."

Mike yanked his pant leg down. "Caroline's supposed to come see the station tomorrow."

"Well, now you'll be free to give her a tour," Johnny said, standing up and moving into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee.

"C'mon, Johnny." Mike got off the couch and walked into the kitchen after him, a slight limp to his stride.

"You're limping, Mike. Captain Stanley's gonna notice that in a heartbeat. The first thing he's gonna do is ask me if you're able to work. I won't lie."

"I'm not asking you too. I'm just asking…," Mike paused. "To not answer the question."

Johnny just looked at him.

"Fine," Mike sat down at the table, resigned to his fate.

"Call Jack, see if he'll cover your shift. That way when you call Cap, you've already got a decent replacement."

Mike nodded.

E

"Welcome to Station 51," Mike said, escorting Caroline into the kitchen.

"It's like a little house," Caroline said, looking around at the kitchen and dining table. She moved a little further into the building and looked at the couch and TV.

"We call that the day room," Mike said.

"I thought I heard someone in here," Chet said. "Looks like Mike's well enough to go out on a date, but not work."

"Knock it off, Chet. I feel bad enough about not being here."

"You look pretty good to me," Chet said, looking Caroline up and down and not Mike.

"Leave him alone," Captain Stanley said, walking into the kitchen. "How ya doin' Mike?"

"I'm healing, Cap. I'll be back next shift fer sure."

"Caroline, I'm glad you can stop by and see the station," Captain Stanley said, extending his hand.

Caroline shook his hand. "Thank you. I hadn't realized you guys had so many features of a home."

"Well, we live here for 24-hour shifts. It helps to be able to unwind in between runs."

"Can I see the engine?" Caroline asked.

"Mike's baby, do you think he'll actually let Caroline touch it?" Marco teased from the couch.

"Well, he lets her touch…."

"Kelly," Captain Stanley's voice carried a clear warning to shut up.

Caroline giggled and slipped her arm through Mike's smiling up at him.

Mike gave Chet a dirty look and headed toward the bay. "We call this the bay," Mike explained.

At that moment, the bay door began to rise. "That's the squad coming back," Mike explained, moving Caroline over by the microphone. "When we get a call, one of us comes over here and writes down the information and gives it to whomever needs it."

Roy stopped the squad and got out. "Hi, Caroline. How ya feelin' Mike?"

"I'm doing okay. I'll be back Thursday."

"Good to hear. I'm gonna grab some coffee."

"Right behind you," Johnny said, coming around the back of the squad. "Hi, Caroline."

"Hi."

Mike showed Caroline the engine and had moved her over to the squad. "Hey Roy, you wanna come give Caroline a tour of the squad," Mike called out.

Roy entered the bay from the kitchen. "Sure." He moved over to open the compartment doors. "We carry multiple different kits to help us with any medical emergency we might encounter," Roy explained. "This is the OB kit for delivering babies."

Caroline nodded.

"We have," Roy reached for the trauma kit, but the klaxons sounded.

"Station 51, multi-vehicle accident I-10 at Sepulveda. Time out, 18:38."

Mike moved Caroline out of the way and all the men came flowing into the bay. Roy moved over to the stand and wrote down the information, pulling off a sheet and handing it to Jack.

Mike hated watching Jack climb into his engine, with his men, and pull out of the bay.

Mike moved forward and closed the bay doors. He turned and led Caroline to the locker room, since he could be certain no one was in there.

"You've got a shower in here?"

"After a long fire, believe me, we need it."

Caroline rested her hands against Mike's chest. "Maybe we should try it out," she winked at him suggestively.

Mike dropped a quick kiss on her lips. "And this is the dorm," Mike took her hand and led her into the dorm.

"Captain Stanley sleeps there, I'm there," Mike said, pointing out the first two beds. "Chet, Marco, Johnny and Roy." Mike pointed out the remaining beds.

"There so little, do you even fit on that?" Caroline looked at the narrow bunks.

"Sure."

"Prove it," Caroline said.

Mike moved over and laid down on the bunk. "You can't roll around much, but we're pretty exhausted most nights."

Caroline moved over the bunk and laid on top of Mike. "Cozy," she whispered, moving in to give him a kiss.

"Caroline, this is Jack's bunk right now."

"Even sexier," Caroline said, sliding her hands under Mike's shirt as she leaned in and pulled him into a deep kiss.

Mike kissed her for a few seconds, but then pulled back. "Why don't I get you some coffee."

"Do you ever think about sneaking a girl in here," Caroline whispered into his ear as she began to nibble his ear lobe.

"What?"

"The guys will be gone for a while right," Caroline unbuckled Mike's belt and then straddled him to sit up and slip off her shirt.

"Caroline, what are you doing?"

"Isn't this so sexy," Caroline whispered as she leaned forward and nibbled his lower lip. "Next time you're on shift, you'll have a pretty hot memory." Caroline slipped off her bra and pulled Mike into another kiss.

Mike turned his head, pulling away. "Caroline, the last thing you wanna do when sleeping in a room with a buncha other guys is think about sex with your girlfriend," Mike said, trying to sit up.

Caroline leaned into him, pressing him back against the bed; she slipped her tongue between his lips, pulling him into a passionate kiss. Mike got lost in the kiss for a moment. Caroline unbuttoned his jeans and slid her hand down his pants.

"Caroline, stop!" Mike pushed her away, sitting up.

Caroline burst into tears, grabbing her bra and shirt and running out of the dorm.

"Caroline!"

Mike ran his hands through his hair and then scrubbed them across his face. He stood up, buttoned his pants and buckled his belt, tucking his shirt back in. He leaned over and straightened the blankets on the bunk. He rubbed his temples and then headed out of the dorm to find Caroline.

He walked into the dayroom to find Caroline sobbing on the couch. She'd put her clothes back on.

"Caroline," Mike said, moving to sit next to her on the couch.

"I don't understand what you want from me," Caroline cried. "When we first started dating, you obviously enjoyed the physical aspects of our relationship and we're really into me. Then, you said you wanted a deeper relationship, but you obviously weren't into talking and playing board games the other night. What is it you're looking for from me?"

"Caroline, I told you, the other night wasn't about you. It was all my fault. Please don't cry."

"It's like you're just stringing me along until something better comes along," Caroline continued to cry.

Mike grimaced. He hated when guys played games with women's emotions, he'd seen enough guys do it. But, now he'd been accused of it twice in as many days.

"Caroline, I'm not trying to play games, I swear. I'm so sorry it feels that way. I don't want to make you cry."

"I just don't know how to make you happy," Caroline looked up at Mike, her lip quivering.

"Caroline, you do make me happy," Mike said, feeling exhausted from the conversation already. "But this is where I work. At night, I'm surrounded by Chet, Marco, Roy, Johnny and Captain Stanley; not exactly a place where you wanna be getting turned on thinking about your girlfriend. Plus, that isn't even my bed tonight. It's Jack's," Mike pushed a piece of hair back out of her face.

"I just wanted to please you," Caroline pouted, taking her finger and tracing Mike's lips.

"Different time, different place," Mike whispered.

"Please don't break my heart, Mike," Caroline pleaded with him.

Mike felt a stab of guilt and pain. He didn't want to be the guy that went around breaking women's hearts; yet Caroline was crying because of him. And Ainsley had been quite clear he was causing Meg pain. Mike ran his hands over his face. May he should just be single, Mike thought.

"I'm sorry, Caroline. I'll work hard to be better," Mike promised, determined to at least not hurt one woman in his life.


	19. Chapter 19

Marco opened his apartment door to find Mike already up and sitting at the kitchen table, an untouched cup of coffee in front of him. "So how did Caroline like her tour last night?" Marco asked.

"Don't ask," Mike said miserably.

"She didn't like the station?" Marco said, surprised. She had seemed engaged in the tour before they got called on for the multi-vehicle accident.

"Just drop it Marco," Mike snapped.

"Geez, man. What's eating you?" Marco complained, pouring himself a glass of orange juice.

Mike shook his head. "Sorry," Mike said. He sighed, "I should just have I'm sorry tattooed on my forehead; I've had to say it so much lately."

Marco looked over at this friend.

"You know, a girlfriend's supposed to make you happier, not more miserable," Marco observed.

"Yeah, if you know how to treat one, but apparently I make all the women around me feel like they're not good enough and can't make me happy, no matter how much they try."

Marco looked over at Mike, but didn't say anything. He'd never seen Mike be anything but kind and chivalrous to any woman, but he wasn't a woman. They definitely saw things differently than a guy did.

"So what's Caroline saying you did?"

"I really don't want to talk about it."

Marco shrugged. "Look, man, if there's anything I can do, any of us can do, you know we will."

"I know," Mike said. "Caroline and I are having dinner with Roy and Joanne tonight; I'm hoping that will help us get things back on the right track."

Marco raised an eyebrow, Caroline had been the topic of conversation at the station last night when they got back from the run. Marco knew Roy did not have the best opinion of Caroline, so he wasn't sure dinner with the DeSoto's was the way to get Mike and Caroline's relationship back on track. "I'm gonna go catch a couple hours sleep. I've got a soccer tournament tomorrow down in San Diego. A bunch of the guys are gonna leave tonight and just get a hotel room. I'll be back late tomorrow night."

Mike nodded. He intended to spend the day looking for a new place to live. His landlord had called him last night and asked him not to move back in when the building was ready. Mike couldn't blame him. He'd been responsible for two apartment buildings being burned down. Mike had decided it was time to start looking at maybe getting a house. Something so if someone tried to burn it down again, it would only affect him. He'd called a realtor and arranged to go see a few houses today.

Mike cleaned up the kitchen and headed out. He wanted to make sure he wasn't late picking up Caroline for dinner that night. He needed everything to go perfectly.

E

Mike opened the car door for Caroline. He liked the loaner car, but missed his truck.

"They're here," Roy said, hearing the car door close.

Joanne lit the candle and placed the glass dome over it before the wind could blow it out. She blew out the match. The kids had already been fed and were being allowed to watch TV in the living room while the grown-ups had dinner on the back deck.

Roy opened the door as Caroline and Mike climbed the stairs to the porch. Mike handed Roy a bottle of wine to go with dinner.

"Thanks," Roy said. "Caroline, you look lovely."

Joanne had just walked into the living room and raised an eyebrow at Roy's statement. Caroline's dress was so tight Joanne instantly knew she wasn't wearing a bra, and had her doubts about underwear.

"Thank you, Roy," Caroline smiled at him, and then moved in and gave him a hug.

"I love the color," Joanne said, trying to be nice.

Caroline looked over at Joanne who was wearing a pair of black slacks with a nice green shirt that highlighted her ivory complexion and auburn hair. "Thank you. I'm sorry if I'm overdressed, Mike said this was going to be a nice dinner."

Joanne pressed her lips together to avoid commenting. Roy put his hand on her back. "Can I help you carry anything outside, Jo?"

Joanne smiled. "Sure, dinner should almost be ready. Why don't you let Mike and Caroline take out the wine and the rolls and you can help me carry out the main dish and sides."

Roy handed the bottle of wine to Caroline and Mike followed him into the kitchen to get the rolls, he took the salad as well and directed Caroline to the deck.

Caroline looked at the deck with the candles and flowers. "We're eating outside? How quaint."

Mike let Caroline go out first and then turned to shut the door. As soon as he closed the door he moved over near her. "I thought you wanted to do this?"

Caroline looked at him. "I do."

"Then why would you insult Joanne and make a snide remark about where we're eating?"

"I didn't," Caroline's eyes widened.

"What was the comment about it not being a formal dinner?"

"She's wearing pants," Caroline whispered.

"So?"

"I was raised you do not wear pants to a formal event. I was feeling bad for out dressing her at her own home. Now you've made me feel uncomfortable," Caroline pouted.

"I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. Just relax and be yourself," Mike whispered.

Caroline frowned at him. Mike set the rolls and salad on the table. He took the wine from Caroline and put it in the ice bucket. He wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry. Please, just relax and have a good time. Getting Roy to like you will help win over all the other guys."

"So you want me to make Roy like me," Caroline asked.

"Please," Mike said.

Caroline smiled, "I can do that."

Joanne waited until Mike and Caroline has stepped outside and Mike had closed the patio door before she spoke. "She's been here less than 5 minutes and I'm considering throwing her off the deck," Joanne hissed to Roy.

"Just give her a chance, Joanne. Mike says she wants to get to know his friends and knows Ainsley doesn't like her."

"None of us like her, Roy. Not Ainsley, not Beth, not me, and not you," Joanne said pointedly.

"We really don't know her. We need to give her a chance."

"Fine," Joanne said. "But, if she makes another comment about my clothes, you'd better have a fire extinguisher nearby 'cause I'm gonna find out if that skin-tight street walker outfit is flammable." Joanne grabbed the potatoes and asparagus and headed toward the deck.

Roy sighed and picked up the tray of salmon and followed his wife. His glance went to the fire extinguisher by his back door. He really hoped he didn't need it tonight.

Joanne walked out to find Mike with his arms around Caroline. Joanne forced a smile.

"Mike, I thought you and Roy could sit at the ends of the table and Caroline, I'll take the side near the railing," Joanne said, smiling.

"Oh, I don't mind taking that side. I'm thin enough it won't be an issue for me," Caroline smiled and moved to the seat near the railing.

Joanne forced her smile wider, even while she clenched her hand into a fist.

Mike looked over at Caroline and then down at the table. He had a feeling this was going to be a long evening.

Roy opened the wine and poured Caroline a glass first, and then moved to pour Joanne's. When he would have stopped, she touched his hand and indicated he should pour more. Mike noticed, but Caroline was looking around and not paying attention.

"I'm just gonna go wash my hands," Mike said, standing up and heading into the house. He went into the restroom and leaned his hands against the sink dropping his head. He took a few breaths. This evening was not starting out the way he had hoped. He had been shocked to see what Caroline was wearing when he picked her up. He had tried to politely suggest she change into something more appropriate, but she had commented that he had loved the dress when she wore it on their first date, and the truth was, he had. She looked incredibly sexy in it and Mike had been fully aware of all the stares she had gotten when they went out; men envying him for being with her. But, now, the outfit just seemed inappropriate and embarrassing.

Caroline watched Mike disappear from view and then turned toward Roy.

"It's so nice you guys can be friends," Caroline said.

"Yeah, it's great we all get along so well given how much time we spend together," Roy said.

"Well, sometimes it's uncomfortable when a boss and employee try to socialize outside of work," Caroline said.

"Boss?" Joanne looked at Caroline.

"Well, Mike said that the ranking in the station is the Captain, and then the Engineer and then the paramedics and linesman are all lumped together."

"Oh, he did, did he," Joanne looked over at Roy.

"Captain Stanley, is the Captain, Mike isn't my boss," Roy clarified.

"Sorry," Caroline smiled at him. "Maybe I misunderstood. You are just a paramedic and Marco and Chet are just linesmen, right?"

Roy swallowed his comment in response to her 'just" addition to the titles. "Yes, Johnny and are I paramedics and Marco and Chet are the linesmen."

Caroline leaned over, giving Roy an easy view down her dress. She placed a hand on his arm, and lowered her voice to have a seductive tone. "All that really matters is you love what you do."

"I do love my job," Roy agreed, averting his eyes from Caroline's cleavage.

"And, he could easily be an Engineer, if he wanted to be," Joanne said. "He turned down the promotion when he passed the Engineer's exam because Roy practically started the paramedic program and loves the work. He went through the very first class."

Mike came back out of the house.

"Mike, you didn't tell me that Roy was in the first paramedic class," Caroline said.

"Yeah, and Johnny went through right after that. That's when they were assigned to Station 51; which was a new station at the time."

"And you guys have been together ever since?"

"Well, Captain Hammer was our first Captain, but he was moved to a larger station after a year and we got Captain Stanley," Mike explained.

Roy tried to put Caroline's statement that Mike had made it seem like he was the boss out of his mind. Caroline had to have misunderstood; Mike wasn't the type of guy to try to make himself seem more important than he was. Roy shook his head, it was a good thing Caroline had said that to him though and not Johnny or Chet; those two would not have been as rationale and willing to withhold judgement.

Caroline kept the conversation flowing around their jobs and got Mike and Roy to tell stories of not only some of their rescues; but the more day-to-day procedures and routine fire inspections. She oohed and awe'd and called them hero's. Caroline had adjusted her chair so she could sit closer to Mike, and Joanne could see that Caroline had her hand resting very high up on Mike's thigh. But, she kept smiling at Roy. She had turned to face him and crossed her legs, sliding her dress even higher up her legs. Joanne thought if she got her dress any higher, Roy would know for sure if Caroline was wearing underwear or not.

As the evening wore on, Roy began to look even more uncomfortable from Caroline's obvious flirting, Joanne was fuming, and Mike looked miserable. Caroline turned the conversation to the upcoming scheduled brush burn. "Isn't that dangerous?" Caroline asked.

"No," Mike answered. "We'll walk the entire area before we start the controlled burn; making sure all the structures are cleared and the wildlife have unobstructed means of exit. By doing a controlled burn we clear areas where uncontrolled wildfires are likely to start and reduce the risk of rescue operations later."

"You mean there might actually be buildings that you're burning up too?" Caroline seemed shocked at this.

"Well, not usually," Roy clarified. "Usually these are highly wooded areas without any homes or structures. It's rare that this upcoming burn does have one very old, abandoned house in the vicinity of the burn."

"How do you know it's abandoned?"

"Records show the State took ownership of the property years ago. In fact, it was a hundred-acre farm originally. The property has just been sitting and now has brush that is completely out of control."

"How do you know there isn't a homeless person living inside?" Caroline asked.

"Tomorrow, C-shift will actually go out and walk the full 100 acres. Captain Hookraider and the local police will actually go into the home and inspect the entire area, to make sure it's clear. They'll tape up any doors or windows and post notices that the building is expected to be destroyed the next day in a controlled burn," Mike explained.

"What happens if someone breaks in between when they do their check and when you actually start the fire?"

Roy shook his head. "We'd know. That's why we tape up the doors and windows. Thursday, just before we start the burn, Captain Stanley will go back and check to make sure all the tape is still intact. If it's not; we'll clear the home again for safety sake."

"Is the tape you use the stuff I saw in the cleaning closet on our tour last night?" Caroline asked.

"Yep, we have it ready for the guys to use tomorrow when they clear the property."

Caroline nodded.

Roy gave her a quizzical look. "You asked a lot of good questions, Caroline. Have you seen a controlled burn before?"

"No," Caroline started. "But, I was…" she reached for her wine glass, but accidently knocked it over, the wine spilling on the table and the glass breaking.

"I'm so sorry!" Caroline said, jumping up, reaching for the remnants of the glass.

"No, don't touch it, just leave it," Roy was saying as Caroline grabbed a piece of the broken glass.

"Ouch," Caroline pulled her hand back, as blood almost instantly appeared on her hand.

Roy grabbed Caroline's wrist and moved her into the house and over to the sink. He turned on the water and put her hand under the stream.

"It really hurts," Caroline looked up at him, tears glistening in her eyes.

"Mike, I've got a first aid kit over by the back door. Will you grab it?" Roy called out to Mike, who was just entering the house.

Mike moved over and grabbed the box Roy was talking about.

"Just set it on the kitchen table. Open it up and get me some 4 by 4s," Roy instructed.

Mike opened the gauze pads and carried them over to Roy.

Chris and Jennifer came into the kitchen. "What happened, dad?" Chris asked, seeing Roy holding Caroline's hand under the water.

"Just a small cut," Joanne said, coming in from the deck. "It's about bedtime for you both. Head upstairs and brush your teeth. I'll be up in just a minute to tuck you in."

The kids both groaned, but scrambled up the stairs when Joanne gave them her "don't mess with me" look.

Roy wrapped several pieces of gauze around Caroline's hand and moved her over to sit down at the kitchen table. He continued holding her hand, keeping pressure on the cut.

"I guess it's super helpful having a paramedic right on site," Caroline smiled at him.

"Well, Mike could've handled this," Roy said. "All firemen are trained in basic first aid."

"You seem so in charge," Caroline cooed.

Roy ignored her comment and gently peeled back the gauze to look at her cut. "I think you're gonna need stitches," Roy said, observing the depth of the cut.

"You won't have to call an ambulance, will you?"

Roy smiled at her. "No, I think Mike can drive you."

"You can't just do it?"

Roy shook his head. "Stitches are beyond what I handle. Mike, I'm gonna wrap her hand and you can drive her to Rampart."

Mike nodded.

Caroline watched as Roy wrapped her hand. He placed his hand under her elbow as he helped her stand-up. Caroline leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you so much."

Mike slipped his arm around Caroline's waist and started heading her toward the front door. She leaned against him as he guided her out.

Roy watched as Mike loaded Caroline into his car and then ran around to the driver side. He closed the door and turned back to his wife. "I'm gonna go clean up the glass."

"I'll go get the kids in bed. Come up and kiss them good-night when you're done?"

Roy gave Joanne a quick kiss on the cheek before he moved out to the deck to start cleaning up the mess. He felt bad Caroline got hurt, but was grateful for a reason to call the evening to a close. Caroline was an incredibly sexy woman, and Roy could easily see why a guy would want to spend some time with her; she had a way of making a guy feel like he was a 10 feet tall super hero. But, that wore off after a while and there wasn't anything of real substance left.

Roy thought of his life with Joanne. She was definitely past the phase where she oohed and awed over everything little thing he did, and there definitely weren't a lot of kisses for performing routine tasks; but at the end of a long shift, when he felt like the world was resting on his shoulders, there wasn't anyone he'd rather come home too. Roy seriously doubted Mike was ever going to have that with Caroline.

E

Kate rubbed her eyes, and stretched, needing to take a break from looking at paperwork. There had been so many files at the prison, that she and Eric had decided it was easier to sign out the files and review them back at her apartment. Eric had come over as soon as he got off work and they'd begun scouring through the mountains of documents. It was difficult to find items that solely pertained to Kevin Costas. They were now going through records of mail sent to inmates and phone calls both received and made, having struck out on anything in the visitor logs.

Kate stood up. "What anything to drink?"

"I'll take some more coffee," Eric said, handing her his cup.

Kate took the cup and retreated toward the kitchen to refill Eric's coffee and find herself a can of soda.

"Well, what do we have here," Eric said.

"What?" Kate asked, coming into the living room carrying the drinks.

"It looks like Kevin had himself a girlfriend," Eric said, looking up at her.

"Really? We didn't have anyone on the visitor lists; what makes you so sure?"

"One of her letters was flagged for inappropriate material and is here in the file," Eric handed Kate a red envelope, a piece of paper and several pictures.

"Whoa, "Kate said, looking at one of the pictures. "I would definitely call that inappropriate. Who'd even take that somewhere to get developed."

"Maybe she's got her own dark room," Eric said. "Look at the name on the envelope."

"Cara Lynn Shatlon; now wonder Caroline Chapman didn't pull up any criminal background. She probably doesn't exist," Kate said, opening the letter and quickly reading it. She felt herself blush at the intimate details in the letter.

"Cara Lynn, Caroline, so close that she's naturally going to respond to hearing Caroline."

"Let's request all the information we can on Cara Lynn Shatlon right away," Kate said, moving to the phone to call the precinct. "I want to be able to put 24-hour surveillance on both to them; but that's gonna require a judge sign off and I need information to convince one to approve it."

"I'm willing to bet we can get enough together to go to a judge Thursday morning," Eric said optimistically.

"I just hope that's soon enough," Kate said. "I can't shake this horrible feeling that something bad is about to happen."

E

Mike pulled into Caroline's apartment complex parking lot, already trying to think of how he was going to avoid having to go in with her. He'd watched her flirt shamelessly with Dr. Morton as he'd stitched her hand at Rampart; and even having a guy nudge him and call him a lucky stiff, for getting to go home with her hadn't changed his feeling of just wanting to take her home and be done with the evening.

Mike parked the car, got out and hurried around the car to open the door for Caroline. He slipped his arm under her elbow to guide her to the apartment door. Caroline handed him her keys, but once he got the door unlocked she moved in between him and the apartment.

She smiled up and him, and placed her unbandage hand on his chest. "I hope you don't mind, Mike; but I'm feeling really exhausted from everything tonight. Would you be terribly upset if I didn't invite you in?"

Mike tried really hard not to smile, relief flooding over him. "Of course not. I completely understand," was all he said.

Caroline smiled and pulled him in for a kiss, that Mike kept to a small peck and then he stepped back.

"I hope you're able to sleep okay."

"Thank you, sweet dreams, Mike," Caroline closed the door. She moved to the window and pulled back the curtains slightly to watch Mike get in his car and pull out of the parking lot.

"The coast is clear, he's gone," Caroline said.

She heard a door open down the hallway and in a few seconds Kevin had joined her in the living room.

"How'd the evening go?"

"Perfect," Caroline said, moving to slip her arms around his neck. "Just as you said it would."

"What happened to your hand?"

"I broke a wine glass and cut myself. Roy started to ask me about why I was asking him about controlled burns and I needed a distraction," Caroline explained.

"Very resourceful," Kevin said admiringly. "I love how you are completely willing to make any sacrifices for our cause," Kevin leaned down and gave her a deep kiss, sliding his hands down her body to cup her buttocks.

"It hasn't been easy," Caroline complained, when the kiss ended. "If I have to spend one more night with the boy scout, I may lose my mind."

"Just two more days my darling and I'll pull off my greatest revenge yet. It is going to be a fantastic headline," Kevin smiled thinking of the news article.

"And the best part is, they'll never be able to prove it's you. A genius plan created by a genius mind," Caroline beamed at him with pride.

"No, the best part is, afterwards, we can ditch this place and spend the rest of our lives together," Kevin said. "Now, what did you learn from your tour last night and dinner tonight?" Kevin asked, guiding Caroline to the couch.

"They do know about the house on the property, but they haven't cleared it yet. That's tomorrow's assignment though. The tape I saw in their closet is the tape they use; so hopefully they put it back in the same place. They do check to make sure the tape is still in place before starting the fire. But, it's the shift tomorrow taping up the house and then A-shift re-checking it."

"Good, that takes some pressure off," Kevin smiled, leaning over to kiss Caroline's neck.

"So, I just need to get Mike to stay the night tomorrow night and we'll be all set."

Should be easy enough, what guy can resist you," Kevin said, as he continued to kiss up Caroline's neck to nibble on her ear lobe."

"I'll have to really turn on the sex appeal," Caroline said, slowly starting to unbutton Kevin's shirt. "He's such a goody-two-shoes he hasn't tried very hard to get me into bed yet."

Kevin pulled her up from the couch. "Why not show me what you're gonna do? After all, practice makes perfect."

Caroline giggled and followed him toward the bedroom. All she had to do was get Mike to agree to stay the night at her apartment tomorrow and let the guys on his shift think he overslept and their plan would complete.


	20. Chapter 20

Meg heard a faint knock at her front door and moved to look out the window. She saw Joe walking down her driveway away from the house. She waited until Joe got a few houses down the street and then opened the door. Her breakfast tray, coffee cups, sugar and cream bowl were sitting on the porch, washed and dried. A note with her name on it, laid on top of the plate that had held the blueberry muffins.

Meg looked up and saw Joe looking back at her. He raised his hand, giving her a small wave. Meg waved back and then bent over and picked up the breakfast tray. She carried it into the kitchen, setting it on the counter. She picked up the envelope and tore it open, pulling out a folded piece of paper. "I hope you don't mind; I ate all the muffins. They really were delicious. Take care. Joe."

Meg folded the paper back and set it down on the counter. She put everything away and then looked at the note again. He really was a nice guy. Meg ran her finger over his name. She really wished she felt more for him than she did.

Meg stood in the kitchen looking around. She had no idea what to do with herself. As expected, Principal Haggerty had called her into his office on Monday. He'd told her that he didn't think she was an arsonist, but he obviously couldn't have a teacher who was accused of aggravated assault and arson actively teaching in the school. He'd suggested she take a personal leave, so he didn't have to make any decisions about her future as a teacher at this time. At least he hadn't fired her outright. Meg had agreed a personal leave was a good idea. She'd spent the rest of the day at the cemetery where her mom, dad and sister were buried crying her eyes out.

"Not anymore," she said out loud. She'd decided yesterday that she was done playing the victim. She'd spent all day Tuesday cleaning her apartment from top to bottom. She'd even taken off the vents for the air returns on the wall and scrubbed them clean. The apartment still smelled like Pine Sol. Today she was reorganizing all of her cabinets, dresser drawers and closets. Meg opened up the first set of kitchen cabinets and got to work.

Several hours later, she slid a large box out of her closet and started reorganizing her closet. "If nothing else," she said out loud. "I'll have the cleanest, most organized home in the state." Meg opened the box and found the pictures of her and Mike laying on the top of all the things.

She picked it up and looked at them. Mike's blue eyes were fixed on her, not the camera, in the first shot. Meg was laughing, she remembered that Mike had started to tickle her side when the picture had been snapped. When she turned to look at him, he'd kissed her. The next picture caught their kiss. Mike was a great kisser; her stomach did a little flip flop just thinking about it. "No wonder I'm having such a hard time getting over you," she said, looking at the next picture. Mike was looking at the camera in this one. His blue eyes standing out on the printed strip. His full lips turned up into a smile that made his eyes sparkle, and a 5 O'clock shadow on his face. His hair was thick and luxurious, she remembered running her fingers through his hair as he'd pulled her in for another kiss when the picture was over.

"I need to find a way to put you in my past, Mike," Meg said, looking at the picture. Meg laid the picture back in the box and closed the top. She didn't feel any anger this time, just the sadness of knowing a relationship was over. She'd spent a lot of time of Tuesday trying to blame Mike for her problems, he'd led her on telling her she was beautiful and asking to spend time with her; but the truth was, the problems came because she read what she wanted to hear into what Mike said. It was time to start taking responsibility for her actions and moving on with her life.

Meg looked at the clock, it was only 1:00 PM. What am I going to do with the rest of my day, she thought; then an idea hit her. She grabbed her purse and headed out of the house.

E

Mike pulled up in front of the Gage home and grabbed the bank envelope, shoving it into his back pocket as he got out of the car. He knew they'd told him not to worry about it, but he wanted to give Johnny and Ainsley back the $500 for paying Meg's bail. He'd intended to drop it off on Tuesday, but the appointments with the real estate guy had taken too long.

Mike walked up the driveway toward the gate leading into the backyard; he'd caught a glimpse of Hunter swinging when he pulled up. He assumed Johnny and Ainsley were out in the backyard. Mike stopped when he got to the gate. Meg was holding Grace in one arm and pushing Hunter in the swing with the other. Chief looked over at him, but remained at his spot laying down a few feet from Meg.

Mike looked around, Ainsley and Johnny were nowhere to be seen.

"Hungy," Mike heard Hunter say.

"Ok, are you ready for dinner?" Meg said, starting to slow down the swing.

"Hungy," Hunter repeated.

Meg looked at Grace in her arm, and at Hunter in the swing, trying to figure out how to get Hunter safely out of the swing while holding Grace.

"I'll get him," Mike said, opening the gate.

Meg turned and watched Mike let himself into the backyard. She didn't say anything while Mike picked Hunter up out of the swing. "I came over to see Johnny," Mike said, as an explanation for why he was there.

"I offered to watch the kids so they could have a date," Meg said.

"Shouldn't you be working?" Mike asked, it was only 3:30 PM.

Meg looked away from him. "I'm taking some time off work," was all Meg said.

"Because of the arrest," Mike said, instantly knowing what was wrong. "I'm so sorry, Meg. This is all my fault," Mike felt the crushing guilt.

Meg shook her head. "Don't. This is not your fault."

Meg moved toward the house and Mike followed her.

"Yes, it is. I'm so sorry."

"Can you put Hunter in the booster seat for me?" Meg asked, moving over to put Grace in the baby swing.

Mike put Hunter into his booster seat and sat down to watch Meg.

Meg didn't say anything else as she quickly cut up small pieces of chicken and put them on a plate with some pieces of corn for Hunter. Meg walked over and set the plate in front of Hunter, who immediately started grabbing pieces of food and feeding himself.

Meg turned to look at Mike, but moved back a few feet to lean against the kitchen counter. "You're such a good man, Mike. Your job places a lot of responsibility on your shoulders and you take that on naturally. You're a man that protects others and you take that very seriously. But, don't own what doesn't belong to you."

Mike looked at Meg. "I shouldn't have asked you to train with me. Ainsley had told me you were dating Joe; I was out of line."

"This is not your fault, stop trying to blame yourself for my mistakes. I tell my students that they can't control what other people do, but they are the only one that can control what they do. I took what you said and twisted it to hear what I wanted. You didn't tell me that you wanted to break up with Caroline and get back with me, but that's what I read into it. It was my fault. And **I** knew it wasn't true. **I** knew you'd be at Caroline's that night. **I** was an idiot for going over there and because **I** chose to do that, **I** put myself into a situation to be accused of the fire," Meg emphasized the I's in her statement. "Me, not you."

"I feel guilty for what you're going through."

"You shouldn't," Meg shook her head. "I mean it Mike. I don't want your pity, but I get it, you're a very caring person, so you feel bad for me. But, you shouldn't feel guilty. You didn't cause this. You haven't done anything wrong."

Mike stood up and moved across the kitchen. "Even telling you that you're beautiful," Mike looked down at her, his blue eyes locking with hers.

"You didn't say it to be mean," Meg said, feeling her heart accelerate at his closeness.

"I really didn't, Meg. I never meant to cause you any pain."

"I know," Meg moved away from Mike and moved over to get a banana for Hunter, starting to cut it into small pieces. "I'm not mad at you Mike. It would be easy to try to blame you for how I feel, but I'm the one who ended things. I'm the one that's been holding on to what we had and unwilling to move on. I'm the one who should be sorry. I want you to be happy, Mike."

"I want you to be happy too, Meg," Mike said. "I miss our talks. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that," Mike wanted to kick himself. He wasn't being fair to Meg.

"I miss our talks too," Meg said. "But, I'm not in a position where I can be your friend, Mike. I just can't. But, that's not your fault either. Stop beating yourself up for things you aren't responsible for," Meg turned to look him in the eye again. "I can see it in your eyes, Mike. You don't look like you've slept and your eyes have a sadness that wasn't there a few months ago."

"I haven't been sleeping very well," Mike admitted, he didn't say he hadn't been happy in a really long time, but Mike knew that was true too.

"Well, if any of that is because of me, I'm okay. Really."

"You've been arrested Meg."

Meg smiled. "But they aren't trying to convict me of stupidity and that's the only thing I'm guilty of."

"It isn't a joke," Mike said.

"It'll all get cleared up, Mike. I gave Kate the information where I bought the iron oxide. They'll confirm the quantity I bought. I hadn't used any of it, so they can see it's all accounted for. Kate seems really good at what she does. She'll find out who's really behind this and you'll be safe and able to move on with your life with Caroline."

Mike looked down at the floor. "So I haven't been leading you on?" Mike asked, remembering Caroline's accusation that he was stringing her along waiting for something better to come along.

"No. I've been leading myself on. But, I have to stop now," Meg said, looking at him. "I need to get over you, so I can get on with my life too."

Mike felt an incredible wave of sadness.

"Meg," Mike realized he didn't know what he wanted to say. He remembered Ainsley's warning, if he wasn't a 100% certain he wanted to be with Meg, he needed to leave her alone.

Meg looked at him, but Mike didn't anything else. The sadness in his eyes was overwhelming, Meg felt bad for him, he looked so miserable. Meg moved forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning in to give him a brief hug. Mike wrapped his arms around Meg and gently rested his cheek against the top of her head. He tightened his grip when he felt her start to move away, but Meg gently pulled away.

"I'll tell Johnny you stopped by," Meg said, moving away from Mike to get the bananas for Hunter.

Mike moved to the backdoor, but didn't leave right away. He watched as Meg set the pieces of banana in front of Hunter, and then picked up Grace to get her a bottle. He realized he wished he wasn't leaving and that he could spend just a few more hours with her.

"Good-bye, Meg." Mike said, knowing he needed to leave before he said something he shouldn't. He felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, even as he felt a deep sadness in his chest. Meg didn't blame him for anything that had happened. She knew he had never meant to hurt her. She wasn't angry with him. But, he couldn't ignore the fact that he would've really liked to stay and spend the evening with her. Mike sat in the car looking at the house for several minutes. He suddenly knew exactly what he had to do.

E

Mike knocked on Caroline's door, and looked around waiting for her to answer the door. She opened the door and Mike stepped back, shocked by her appearance at the door in lingerie. "I've been waiting for you, "Caroline practically purred. She reached out and took Mike's hand, pulling into the dark apartment.

Before Mike could say anything, Caroline had pulled him into a deep kiss, pressing her body tightly against his. Instead of finding himself pulled into the kiss though, Mike found himself even more determined to do what he'd set out to do.

Mike pulled away.

"What's wrong?" Caroline asked, looking offended.

"Caroline, we need to talk."

Caroline took Mike's hand and led him to the couch. "I've got something much more fun in mind," she whispered as she got him to sit on the couch and straddled him.

Mike picked her up and moved her off of him, setting her on the couch next to him. "No, we need to talk."

Caroline looked stunned.

"Caroline, this just isn't working for me," Mike began, as he got off the couch and moved to a chair across from her. "You're an incredibly beautiful woman, and really sexy and there are times when you make me feel so incredible."

"That's because you are incredible," Caroline said, batting her eyes at him.

"But, we just aren't compatible in any other way. You deserve someone that appreciates more than your beauty and your sexuality."

"Mike, let's not make a rash decision," Caroline said, starting to feel desperate. She needed him to stay with her tonight.

"This isn't a rash decision, Caroline. In fact, it's one I should've made some time ago."

"So you were just stringing me along until something better came along," Caroline accused. "Who is she?"

Mike shook his head. "Caroline, I'm not going to feel guilty about this. I really did give our relationship everything I could. I wasn't stringing you along as much as I was just trying to see the good and ignoring what wasn't working. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. But, I can't keep seeing you," Mike stood up and moved toward the door.

"Mike, wait, can't we talk about this a bit longer?" Caroline jumped up from the couch, going after Mike and grabbing his arm.

Mike turned to look at her and gently removed her hand from his arm. "I hope you find someone who makes you happy, Caroline. You deserve that," Mike kissed her cheek, then opened the door and let himself out.

Caroline slammed the door and ran to the phone. She quickly dialed Kevin's number.

"Hello."

"That stupid jerk just broke up with me!"

"What?"

"Stoker, he just dumped me. What do we do now?"

"Did you get the tape?"

"Of course, as soon as the Station pulled out on the false alarm, I was in and out in just a few minutes. I had just gotten back here and gotten ready when Mike showed up for our date; but how do we get him now if he isn't staying here?"

"Relax, he's the boy scout, remember? You'll just go over there and lure him out to the car. He's not going to refuse a crying woman. Get dressed; I'll be there in a few minutes," Kevin said, hanging up the phone.

Caroline ran back into her bedroom and threw on a pair of jeans and a shirt.

E

"I thought you guys would be out later," Meg said, as Johnny and Ainsley walked back into the house.

"Without a lot of sleep, your energy to go out and do a lot doesn't last very long," Ainsley said, covering a yawn.

"Well then maybe what I need to do is watch the kids for a night so you guys can get away to a hotel," Meg suggested.

"I'd love to take you up on that," Johnny said. "Any night I'm not on shift the next morning."

"Well, Ainsley and I will talk tomorrow and find a night when I can do that for you. Really, I owe you both so much," Meg said.

"No you don't," Ainsley said. "This is what friends do."

Meg hugged her. "Oh, Johnny, Mike stopped by."

Ainsley and Johnny looked at her. "Are you okay?" Ainsley asked.

Meg gave a small sigh. "I'm fine. None of this is Mike's fault and I need to figure out how to get over him. If we're gonna stay friends, I need to be able to see him without it throwing my life into chaos."

"Do you think you can do that?" Ainsley asked.

"Not yet," Meg answered honestly. "But, someday."

"Mike's doesn't know what he's missing," Johnny said, giving Meg a hug.

"Thank you, but yes, he knows. He's just found someone that he'd rather be with. It's okay, Johnny. It doesn't mean I won't find someone or that there's anything wrong with me. It just means Mike and I weren't right for each other," Meg hugged him back. "But, every once in a while if you could say that, it'd be good for my ego."

"I'll just flat out say Mike's an idiot. You're way better than Caroline," Ainsley said.

"Not better, different. But, again, you can say that every now and then when I'm not feeling so optimistic," Meg laughed.

"Wanna stay for a while?" Ainsley asked.

Meg shook her head. "It's still early. I think I'll go back home and go for a run."

E

Mike walked into Marco's apartment feeling freer than he had in weeks. He had wanted to drive back over to Johnny's and ask Meg out; but he decided it would be best if there was at least a day between when he broke up with Caroline and when he asked Meg out again. He was on shift tomorrow, but he'd call her Friday to see if she was free on Saturday. That would give him time to plan a really spectacular date. Although, he personally would be happy with a night just cuddling on her couch and talking. He wanted to do something really special for her.

Mike began to get his stuff together for the next day, putting the duffel bag near the front door. Marco wasn't going to be home until late, so Mike decided to just make a sandwich for dinner. He had only eaten half of it when there was a soft knock at the door.

Mike opened the door to find a teary Caroline.

"Can we talk?" She sniffed.

"Caroline, there really isn't anything left to say."

Caroline burst into tears, dropping her face into her hands, her shoulders shaking with sobs.

Mike reached out and pulled her into a hug. "Please don't cry, Caroline. It's not you. You're beautiful and sexy; but I'm just not the right guy for you."

Caroline said nothing, she just continued to cry.

Mike eased her into the apartment, closing the door. "Can I get you something to drink?" Mike asked, turning toward the kitchen.

"No, what you can get is a pen and paper."

"What?" Mike asked, turning back around. Caroline held a small black box in her hand.

"Recognize one of these," Caroline asked, her tears completely evaporated.

"It looks like a detonation switch," Mike said, puzzled.

"Very good Fireman Stoker. Now go look out the window."

Mike just stood there looking at her.

"Go. Look."

Mike moved toward the window and looked down. "What am I looking at?"

"Do you see all those people waiting for the bus," Caroline said.

"Yeah, so."

"There's a bomb under the bench. You will do exactly what I say, or you'll be the reason all of those people die today."

Mike turned around and looked at her like she was crazy. "Caroline, this is really taking a break-up too far."

Caroline snorted. "Give me a break. I'm way out of your league. You were the reason I was separated from my true love, for 6 years, and now is payback time. Get the pen and paper," Caroline ordered.

Mike hesitated.

"If you don't think I'll blow all those people up, you are sadly mistaken," Caroline warned him.

Mike moved over to a small desk and removed a pen and paper.

"Write Marco a note and tell him you're staying the night at my place and you'll see him at the station."

Mike quickly wrote down what she said. Caroline took the note and read it over, convinced there was nothing that would make Marco suspicious she dropped it on the table. "Pick up your work bag," Caroline ordered.

Mike picked up the bag.

"Now we're gonna walk outside and get in your rental car," Caroline said, putting her free hand on the door knob. "But, if you make any sudden moves, I'll detonate that bomb."

Mike just nodded.

He walked down the stairs and moved toward the rental car. Kevin was leaning against Caroline's car waiting for him.

"Put your bag in the trunk," Kevin ordered, walking to the back of Mike's rental car.

Mike opened the trunk and dropped his bag in.

"Now get in, you're driving," Kevin ordered, moving over to take the detonator from Caroline.

Mike inwardly groaned when he saw Meg jogging down the block. He knew he had to keep Caroline from seeing her. "Your never gonna get away with this," Mike said, getting them both to look at him.

"Oh, we will," Caroline said, handing the detonator to Kevin and moving toward her car. "Kevin, that's Meg, that girl Mike was seeing. She'll definitely remember seeing him with us," Caroline said, moving back over toward Mike and Kevin.

"Call her over," Kevin ordered.

"No way!"

"Then watch that beautiful family over there die," Kevin said, using the detonator to point out a mother with three little kids that had just sat down on the bus bench along with at least 5 other people.

Mike swallowed.

"Do it now, Stoker," Kevin hissed.

"Meg!"

Meg had seen Mike standing with Caroline, but had tried to keep her eyes on the road in front of her.

"Meg!"

Meg turned to see Mike, but just lifted her hand in a quick wave. She had no interest in going over there and watching them be a happy couple.

"Tell her to come here," Caroline ordered.

Mike swore under his breath. "Meg, come here," he called out; hoping against hope she'd ignore him.

Meg stopped, but jogged in place for a few seconds before heading in his direction.

Run, Meg, run, Mike thought, trying to will her to keep moving.

Meg looked around and then started to walk toward them. Who was that guy with them, Meg thought as she approached Mike and Caroline? And why does he look so familiar? It was just as she reached the car that Meg connected the face with the picture Kate had shown her. "Kevin Costas," Meg whispered.

"Very good," Kevin said. "My reputation proceeds me. So you know that when I tell you this device will set off a bomb under that bus bench, you know I'm not lying."

Meg looked at the small black device in Kevin's hand and over at the bench full of kids and all the people standing nearby. She looked back at Kevin, her eyes wide with fright.

"Get in the car, Meg," Kevin ordered. "Back seat, behind Stoker. Get in the car and drive where I tell you to," Kevin ordered.

Mike figured the device probably only had the range of about a mile. It'd be risky, but once they were out of range he could crash the car. He just hoped Meg put on her seatbelt, or it would limit his options.

Meg got in the back seat, closed the door and much to Mike's pleasure, buckled her seat belt. Mike climbed into the driver's seat and Kevin got into the passenger seat.

Caroline hurried up and got in her car.

"Pull out and go left," Kevin ordered.

Mike put the car in gear and pulled out onto the road, watching in his mirror as Caroline followed behind them.

Kevin reached into the glove box and pulled out a packet of dynamite, he leaned it over the back seat. "Take it," he ordered Meg.

Meg reached forward and took the dynamite, setting it on her lap. Kevin pulled a second timer out and flipped switch causing the black box on the dynamite he'd just handed Meg to beep and a red light come on.

"This is a motion sensitive trigger," Kevin explained. "If it falls out of my hand because of a car accident, the bomb goes off, so don't get any ideas."

Mike looked at Meg in the rearview mirror; so much for plan A.


	21. Chapter 21

Mike continued to follow the directions Kevin gave as he drove them away from the city and toward an area Mike recognized as the area where they were scheduled to do the controlled burn the next day. Mike pulled up in front of the abandoned farm house and put the car into park. Caroline pulled up behind him.

"Get outta the car," Kevin ordered.

Mike opened up the driver's side door and stepped out of the car.

"Open the door for her," Caroline instructed him, as she moved to the trunk of her car and pulled out a sledgehammer. Then she walked over to the rental car. She opened the trunk to the rental car and pulled out his work bag.

Mike opened the door and helped Meg out, who was still holding the dynamite. Mike took the package carefully from her.

"Aw, isn't that sweet; still trying to play the protective fireman," Caroline sneered.

"Move it," Kevin ordered, pointing toward the house.

Mike and Meg watched as Kevin sliced through the tape and pushed open the door. "Get in."

Mike and Meg moved inside the dark structure. The sun was just starting to set, but with the boarded up windows the fading light wasn't filling much of the dilapidated home.

"Follow me," Kevin said, weaving his way through the rooms toward the kitchen. Mike and Megan followed along.

Mike's eyes swept around each room looking for anything that might help him later.

Kevin bent down and opened a panel in the floor. "Get down there," he ordered. Mike went down first, still managing to hold the dynamite. Meg had to turn around and walk down backwards, holding onto the rickety rails that ran alongside the steep steps.

She wrinkled her nose when she got to the bottom. The room smelled of rotted food and mildew. She jumped as Kevin dropped Mike's work bag down the stairs, almost hitting her.

Kevin and Caroline also climbed down.

"Tie them up," Kevin said to Caroline.

She pulled out a long piece of rope from her pocket. "Get over there and sit down," Caroline ordered.

Mike followed her gesture to a large wooden beam that appeared to be one of the house support beams.

"Whatdya want me to do with this?" Mike asked, holding up the dynamite.

"Set it on your lap," Kevin ordered.

Mike moved and sat down, resting the dynamite package on his legs.

"Sit down," Caroline shoved Meg over toward Mike. Meg moved over and sat down next to Mike.

"Put your hands behind your back and around the beam," Kevin ordered.

Once they did, Caroline moved over and tied their wrists together, wrapping the rope around the beam to limit their range of motion.

Mike heard another beep and the red light turned off on the dynamite. "We won't be needing this anymore," Kevin said, tossing the detonator over to Caroline, who slipped it into her pocket.

"Have you figured it out yet, Stoker? How you're gonna die that is," Kevin laughed.

"When the house burns tomorrow as part of the controlled burn," Mike said, his tone sarcastic. "You're going to jail for the rest of your life."

"Why would I go to jail?" Kevin asked, feigning innocence.

"For murder," Meg replied.

"I'm not murdering anyone, sweetheart," Kevin said, squatting down to look Meg in the eyes. "The LA County Fire Department, specifically Station 51, is murdering you. They'll be the ones who start the fire," Kevin laughed at the sheer genius of the plan.

"And don't worry about them noticing the tape," Caroline said. "I stopped by the station earlier, when everyone was out on a call and borrowed the remainder of the roll, so we'll put it back just the way it was when we found it."

Mike jerked against the ropes. The tape had been his saving hope. The guys would've noticed it been cut. But, if they replaced it, no one would find them before the burn started.

"Let Meg go," Mike argued. "She isn't part of this. She had nothing to do with my putting you in jail."

"No can do," Caroline said. "She'd snitch to the cops and we can't have that." Caroline moved back to the stairs and made her way back up. She dropped down a sledgehammer and Mike could hear her walking out of the house.

Kevin walked over and picked up the sledgehammer, slamming into the wooden stairs, sending splinters of wood spraying in their direction. Mike tried to turn his body to protect Meg from the flying debris as Kevin continued smashing the staircase and railing.

"Duck your head," he told Meg, trying to get her to tuck herself into his body.

Meg did as she was told, but could still feel pieces of wood sticking into her bare arms and legs. She'd been dressed to run so was only wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top.

When the noise stopped, Mike looked up to see the staircase was completely gone. He heard scraping across the floor upstairs though and watched as Caroline lowered a ladder down. Kevin climbed up to the ladder and pulled the ladder up. Mike heard a thud as they dropped the hatch closed, locking Meg and Mike into the cellar.

Mike began working his hands around trying to twist the rope to get to the knots. He had to get them untied.

"Oh my God, Oh my God," Meg said, starting to hyperventilate. "We're gonna be burned to death."

"Meg, don't worry. I'll get us out of this. Try to take deep breaths," Mike continued working on the rope.

"I don't wanna die," Meg said, tears forming in her eyes.

"I won't let that happen. I promise," Mike said, struggling to get the knot close enough to him to try to untie it.

"This isn't working," Mike said.

"Oh my God," Meg whispered.

"Meg, I've got a knife in my front pocket, do you think you can reach it?"

Meg was silently rocking slightly back and forth.

"Meg!" Mike raised his voice.

Meg looked up and met his eyes.

"Meg, I need you not to panic," Mike said, his voice firm. "We'll get out of this. But, I need your help."

Meg swallowed and forced herself to take a few breaths. She nodded her head.

"I've got a knife, in my front pocket, closest to you. Is there any way you can get your hand over here and get it out of my pocket?"

Meg wiggled a little, to get as close to Mike as she could and then twisted trying to get her hand to the side. She could feel the muscles in her shoulders straining as she pulled as hard as she could. She finally managed to loop a finger into Mike's pocket.

"Can you scoot any closer to me and maybe back a little bit?" Meg asked, straining her fingers trying to slip them into his pocket.

Mike braced his heels against the dirt floor and pushed himself back and over toward Meg as much as he could.

She slipped her hand further into his pocket and managed to get her fingers around the knife. She pulled it out. "Now what?"

Mike twisted and managed to get the knife out of Meg's hands, and pulled up the blade. "Try to keep your arms and hands as far away from me as possible," Mike said, and he maneuvered the knife around to start cutting against the rope.

It took some time, but Mike finally managed to fray the rope enough that when he yanked, the rope snapped, freeing him from the beam. He turned around and quickly untied Meg. He put the knife back in his pocket, reached down and took her hands, pulling her to her feet.

"Now what?" Meg asked again.

"Now we try and get outta here," Mike said, looking around the room the best he could with the fading light.

He and Meg began to move around the root cellar. The walls were made of stone, and there were no windows. Mike moved over to where the staircase had once been. This was a deep cellar and there was no way he was going to be able to reach the hatch to get them out of this room. Maybe if he had Meg get on his shoulders?

"Meg, come over here," Mike said.

She moved to stand next to him, also looking up at the doorway to freedom.

"Get on my shoulders. Let's see if you can open that hatch." Mike bent down so Meg could get her legs around his shoulders. He reached up and grasped her hands before standing up.

Meg felt a little wobbly as Mike stood and got his footing, but she just clung to his hands.

"Can you reach the door?"

Meg looked up and knew there was no way she was reaching it, but she forced herself to let go of Mike's hand and reach out anyway. "No."

"What about if you stand up?"

"Are you crazy?" Meg asked. "I wasn't a cheerleader in high school, Mike. I can't stand on your shoulders without falling and breaking my neck."

"You've got to try Meg. We've got to get outta here. I won't let you fall."

Meg swallowed hard. "Take me over by the wall so I can support myself with the wall while I try to stand-up."

It took several attempts, but Meg finally managed to get her feet onto Mike's shoulder's and herself into a standing position. She reached up, but only her fingertips touched the ceiling.

"Do you think you can get enough leverage to push open the door?" Mike asked, trying to slowly move Meg back several inches to the door, while she used what little touch she had on the ceiling to keep herself steady.

"I'll try."

Mike managed to get Meg back under the door hatch, but the hatch was raised up farther then the ceiling, she could barely touch it, let alone get enough force to open the hatch.

"Maybe if I try to jump," Meg suggested. She could feel the desperation and panic starting to set in.

Mike took an uneasy breath, but knew they had to try it. "Give it a shot," he said.

Meg reached one hand down so Mike could help steady her when she lost her touch on the ceiling as she bent her knees. "One, two, three," Mike released Meg's hand as he felt her push against his shoulders and then felt the loss of her weight. He heard her hands slam against the door, and quickly adjusted his position to catch her as she fell back down. The door didn't even budge.

"It's too heavy," Mike said, quickly surmising the problem.

"Maybe I can jump better next time," Meg suggested, not wanting to give up. She knew there were no other openings in the cellar and that door was their only hope.

Mike shook his head. "It's too heavy."

Meg started to cry, kneeling down into the dirt.

Mike bent down and wrapped his arms around her and pulling her against his chest.

"My biggest fear has always been being burned alive," Meg whispered.

"You won't be," Mike assured her.

"How can you say that," Meg said looking up at him.

Mike tightened his grip. "The idea of people being burned to death in a fire it more myth than reality. You succumb to smoke inhalation long before the flames actually reach you."

Meg started to cry again.

"Hey, I'm not gonna let that happen to you," Mike said, leaning her back and brushing the hair out of eyes.

"How can you say that," Meg whispered. "We're trapped."

"I have complete faith in my A shift brothers," Mike said with confidence. "When I don't show up to work tomorrow they'll know something is wrong. Somehow, they will figure this out."

Meg leaned back against Mike.

He tightened his embrace, realizing how cold her skin was. "You're freezing," Mike said, looking at her shorts and tank top.

Meg nodded.

Mike moved over to where his work bag lay on the floor. He didn't have much in there to be helpful, but he did have clothes.

Mike unzipped the bag and pulled out his uniform shirt and pants and a long sleeve jacket that he'd thrown in as a precaution. He walked back over to Meg and extended his hand to help her stand up.

When she did he held out his pants. "Slip these on."

Meg just looked at him.

"I've got a belt, and at least they'll cover your legs."

Meg slipped into the pants, pulling at the legs to find her feet; Mike was several inches taller than she was.

Mike bent down and rolled up each pant leg to reveal her tennis shoes. Meg had snapped the pants, but had to hold them to keep them from falling off. Mike grabbed the belt and thread it through the belt loops, fastening it into the last hole. The pants were still incredibly loose; but at least they stayed up.

Meg slipped her arms through the light blue short-sleeve uniform shirt Mike offered her. He moved to stand in front of her and started doing up the buttons. When he fastened the last one, he grabbed the coat and moved behind Meg, holding it while she slipped her arms into the sleeves.

Her turned her around so she was facing him again and he zipped the jacket. The clothes hung on her as they were several sizes too big for her and Mike couldn't help but think she looked completely adorable.

Meg looked down at herself, and then back up at Mike. "I look like a child playing dress-up."

Mike slipped his hand behind her head and into her hair, pulling her to him as he caught her mouth in a kiss. He quickly deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue past her lips. Meg slipped her arms around his neck and pressed in close to him.

They kissed for a long time, before Mike finally pulled away and pressed his cheek against hers. Meg could feel the stubble forming on his cheeks, rough against her skin. She rubbed her face against his, the roughness sending ripples of pleasure through her body.

"I'm so sorry I got you into this Meg?" Mike whispered into his ear.

"This isn't your fault, Mike."

"I should have refused to call you over."

"You couldn't let all those people die; especially the kids. I'd rather be here than know that kids died in my place."

Mike looked into her eyes. "I won't let you die."

Meg looked down. "You can't promise that Mike."

"I know Captain Stanley; he'll know somethings wrong when I don't show up. They'll find us, Meg. And when we get out of here; I'm gonna take you on an amazing date."

Meg smiled at him. "I'd be happy just cuddling on my couch and talking."

Mike leaned down and kissed her again. "We can do that right here and now," Mike led her over to a wall and sat them on the ground leaning them against the stone wall. He wrapped his arms around her pulling her in close to him. Meg rested her head on his chest, listening to his heart beat.

E

Marco pushed open the apartment door, trying to be quiet while he carried his bag and balanced two soccer balls. He looked at the couch to see if Mike was already asleep, but no one was on the couch. Marco flipped the light switch up, flooding the apartment with light, while both balls fell out of his arms and went bouncing around the small area.

Marco dropped his bag and headed toward the kitchen for a glass of water. He came back out and looked at the note on the table.

"Staying the night at Caroline's. See you at the station" Mike.

Marco sighed and he felt his shoulders slump. "Aw, man."

Marco picked up the note and read it again. "I hope you know what you're doing, Mike." Marco dropped the note back on the table, grabbed his stuff and started heading for his bedroom. He stopped halfway down the hall and moved back into the living room. He opened the coat closet and confirmed that Mike's work bag was gone. "Damn."

E

Chet balanced the small bucket of water on the edge of the shelf, and adjusted the spring holding it in place. He looked down to make sure none of the important equipment would get wet and carefully closed the door. As the lock clicked closed, Chet paused. Something wasn't right. He tried to think about what had bothered him, but nothing immediately came to his attention.

"Where's Mike," Captain Stanley called out, looking for his Engineer. "Has anyone heard from Mike?"

Chet quickly moved away from the closet door as Captain Stanley walked into the bay. "Kelley, what are ya doin'?"

"Nothin', Cap."

Captain Stanley looked at Chet and then at the closet door. Poor Gage, he thought. "Have you heard from Mike," was all he said.

"No, he's not here yet?"

"No, and that's not like him."

They both turned when they heard the phone in the kitchen start ringing. Captain Stanley was in the room grabbing the phone before the second ring stopped. "Station 51, Captain Stanley speaking."

"Oh, um, Hi. This is Caroline," Caroline sounded like she was afraid to talk to him.

"Do you know where Mike is," Captain Stanley asked.

Marco had just walked into the kitchen from the parking lot and didn't realize Captain Stanley was on the phone.

"Yeah, he stayed the night at Caroline's," Marco answered.

Captain Stanley turned to look at him, as did Johnny and Roy who were filling cups of coffee.

"Um, yeah. I'm really sorry, but Mike overslept. He asked that I call you and tell you that he's jumping in the shower now and he'll meet you at the burn site."

"Put him on the phone, right now," Captain Stanley raised his voice. Mike was one of his favorite people, but he was not going to have him throwing away his career over a woman. Hank had to admit some of his anger came from being angry that Mike was stupid enough to stay the night with Caroline. She was just not the right woman for Mike. It was time he had a very serious talk with his Engineer.

"I'm sorry, I can't. He's already in the shower. Look, I'm running late to work myself. I'm sure Mike'll be there soon," Caroline hung up the phone.

Captain Stanley listened as the dial tone began to buzz in his ear. He slammed the phone down. "Jack? Can you stay on duty until we Mike shows up? You can drive his car back to the station."

"Sure," Jack said, looking over at Johnny and Roy. He'd never seen Captain Stanley angry, and right now his face was beat red and there was vein throbbing on his forehead.

E

Meg awoke with a start. Mike tightened his hold on her.

"It wasn't a nightmare," she whispered, seeing the faint signs of light breaking through the stone walls.

"No, sorry."

"What time is it?"

Mike moved his wrist around until he could see the time. "6:20."

"What's our plan?"

"Captain Stanley will walk the house before he starts the burn at 9:00 AM. At 8:30, we start screaming our lungs out and hope they hear us."

"Do you think it will work?" Meg asked.

Mike shrugged, it was better than telling her he seriously doubted it. They cellar was deep and the stone walls thick and Captain Stanley didn't need to get that close to the house to confirm the tape was in place.

E

Captain Stanley walked the perimeter of the house. All the tape was intact. He watched his guys moving in from the surrounding area toward the home as they completed the last sweep of the area before the burn commenced. All his guys, except Mike, Captain Stanley corrected his train of thought. "LA, Engine 51, any word from Fireman Michael Stoker yet?"

"Negative," came the one-word response.

Hank cursed under his breath. "Where is he?" he asked, just loud enough for Roy to hear as he reached the house.

"I'm worried," Roy said.

"Me too. Caroline or no Caroline; this isn't like Mike. I know a guy can get his head turned around over a pretty girl, but Mike is too responsible to just not show up."

"Agreed. Plus, I kinda got the impression the shine was wearing off, if you know what I mean," Roy added.

Captain Stanley nodded.

The other guys gathered around. "Talking about Mike?" Marco asked.

"I just don't like this at all," Captain Stanley said.

"Me either," Johnny agreed.

Captain Stanley looked at his watch. "We can't think about it right now. It's 8:55. Everyone get in place; we need to get this burn started. I called Kate before we left the station; we have to trust her to do her job, while we do ours. Everyone switch to channel 2," Captain Stanley ordered.

He lifted the Handi-Talkie. "Dispatch, we're commencing with the controlled burn. 51 will be unavailable for contact for the next couple of hours."

"10-4, 51. Commence with controlled burn."

Captain Stanley switched the handi-talkie to Channel 2. Dispatch would prevent anyone, including themselves, from using that channel until the burn was over so he and his guys could communicate without any interference. So many things could go wrong in these situations it was imperative they could be in instant contact if necessary.

E

Mike looked at his watch, and put a hand on Meg's arm. "You can stop screaming."

"Why, they haven't heard us yet," her voice already hoarse.

"It's 9:05 AM."

"So?"

"The burn was supposed to start at 9:00 AM. Captain Stanley would've started on time."

Meg looked at him, the fear evident in her eyes. Mike pulled her into his arms.

E

Eric pulled the car into a parking spot at the UCLA library. Kate opened the door and jumped out, rushing toward the building; Eric only a few steps behind her.

"Mrs. Hayward, is Caroline in today?" Kate asked, rushing up to the woman.

"No," Mrs. Hayward set. "Not yet anyway. As I told you before, she is never on time, so she just may be late, but an hour probably indicates she isn't coming in."

"Can you show us where she normally works?" Kate asked.

"Is there a problem?" Mrs. Hayward asked.

"Yes, but I do not have the time to discuss it. I need to see Caroline's work station." Kate and Eric had been in the judge's office as soon as he walked in the door at 8:00 AM. They had presented him with Kevin's background, Cara Lynn's criminal history which turned out to be quite extensive and the evidence they had linking the two of them to the attacks against Mike Stoker. It hadn't taken long to get him to approve placing both of them under surveillance, the problem was no one could find either Kevin or Cara Lynn.

When they'd gotten back to the precinct, Kate had a note on her desk indicating that Mike Stoker had not shown up to work that morning. Caroline had called and said he was going to be delayed, but they were requesting she look for him.

Mrs. Hayward walked them back to the alcove with the microfiche machines. "I need to be upfront as I don't have any coverage. If you need me, come get me."

Eric and Kate began going through the desk, looking for anything that may give them an indication of where Cara Lynn and Kevin had gone.

Kate started rifling through some newspaper articles that were stuffed into a drawer of the desk, rather than in the piles of materials to be scanned.

"Look at these," Kate said, handing the articles to Eric. "They're all the articles on the attacks on Station 51 back when Tim was the one doing them. This is how Kevin got his idea to start with the dumpster fires, and probably to target Mike's apartment complex."

Eric kept flipping through the articles. "Uh-oh, I think I know where they are," Eric said, handing an article to Kate.

Kate looked at the article and then looked at Eric. "I don't understand."

"Don't you ever read the interoffice newsletter?"

Kate just looked at him.

"The LA County Fire Department is doing a controlled burn, today."

Kate looked back at the article headline. "Man dies at hands of LA County Fire Department in Controlled Burn Mishap."

"We've got to get in touch with Captain Stanley," Kate took the articles with her and raced back to the car, so she could get on the radio.

"LA, this is Detective Stryker. I need you to relay me with Station 51, Captain Hank Stanley."

"Negative, Detective. Station 51 has started the controlled burn and are out of radio contact for a couple of hours at least."

"This is an emergency and may be a matter of life and death," Kate said.

"Sorry, Detective. A controlled burn can also become a matter of life and death and we cannot disrupt the radio silence. I can give you the location. "

"Give me the location," Kate said, pointing at Eric, who was already pulling a notepad and pen out of his pocket to take down the information.


	22. Chapter 22

Meg unzipped Mike's coat and slipped it off. "It's getting warm."

Mike looked over at her, but said nothing.

"Do you think that's because the fire's getting closer?"

Mike looked up at the ceiling, and Meg followed his gaze. She saw wisps of smoke, hovering near the ceiling. She sat for a few minutes, watching the smoke swirl around, the gravity of their situation sinking in. She stood up, walking around the room, watching the smoke getting thicker before her eyes. Mike stood up and moved over next to her. He wrapped his arms around her, knowing she had to be scared.

"I love you, Mike," Meg said, turning to face him. "It may sound ridiculous, we only dated a short period of time; but I may never get another opportunity to tell you, and I don't want to die having not said it."

Mike pulled her in for a kiss, pressing her close to his body. "I love you too, Meg. And you know, I thought about it while you slept last night. We've actually known each for quite some time."

"Whatdya mean? We dated less than a month," Meg said.

"Physically dated, but think about it; we spoke on the phone every night I wasn't on shift for two weeks before our first date. Then, when you left to take care of your dad; we still talked on the phone every day I wasn't on shift for the next 6 weeks, until I met Caroline. And we didn't just have phone conversations Meg, we spoke for hours, talking about our hopes and our dreams. You were so vulnerable from dealing with your dad," Mike touched her face. "I got to know the real you."

"And I got to know the real you," Meg whispered.

Meg looked up as the smoke began filtering lower into the room. "And now we're gonna die together."

"There's still time," Mike said. "The guys will find us."

Meg looked over at him, but said nothing.

"But, we need to do what we can to keep ourselves safe," Mike said. "Move over into that far corner, see how there's already less smoke in that area. Keep that coat with you, you'll use it to cover your nose and mouth when the smoke gets thicker. Stay as low to the floor as you can," Mike took her hand, leading her to the back corner of the cellar.

He sat down and pulled Meg into his arms. C'mon guys, where are you? Mike thought.

E

Kate pulled her car alongside the Engine and jumped out. "Where's Captain Stanley?" She asked the man standing at the Engine.

"He's walking the perimeter," the man said.

"I need him right now. Get on the radio and tell him Kate Stryker needs him. It's urgent."

Jack keyed the radio. "Captain Stanley, there's a Kate Stryker here to see you. She says it's urgent."

"I'm on my way," came the muffled response since Captain Stanley had been nearing the house, watching the progress of the brush fire he was in his full gear and had his face mask on. The area was getting really hot and smoky. He started making his way toward the engine.

Chet came up next to Captain Stanley. "Can I come with you?" Chet asked.

"Why?"

"I can't explain it; but something's bugging me."

"C'mon," Captain Stanley said.

They both removed their helmets and face masks as they approached Kate and Eric.

"Did you find Mike?" Captain Stanley asked.

"No, and we can't find Cara Lynn or Kevin either," Kate said. "But, I think I have an idea where Mike might be," Kate said, pulling the article from her pocket.

Roy walked up behind Kate.

"What are you doing here?" Captain Stanley asked him.

"Something's bugging me and I can't put my finger on it. I thought maybe talking to Kate would help me figure it out."

Captain Stanley looked at the article Kate had handed him.

"Are there any buildings in the burn area?" Eric asked, as Captain Stanley skimmed the article.

"Yes, a house," Captain Stanley said, handing the article back to Kate. "But this article, is exactly why I know the building is empty."

"Whatdya mean?" Kate asked.

"After that tragedy, the department created a new process for controlled burns with dwellings. We tape them off, all the doors and windows. C-shift cleared the home yesterday and taped it off. I confirmed all the tape was still intact myself this morning."

"That's it!" Chet shouted.

Everyone turned to look at him.

"The tape. When I set the water bomb for Johnny in the closet, the tape was missing," Chet said.

"Maybe C-shift just put it somewhere else."

"No," Roy said, remembering his dinner conversation with Caroline. "Caroline took it. She asked about it at dinner the other night. She knew it was in the closet and she wanted to know if it was the tape we'd used to seal the house."

Captain Stanley looked at Roy and Chet, the realization that Mike was trapped in that house about to burn settling in.

Roy was already in motion running toward the house as Captain Stanley lifted the handi-talkie to his mouth.

"Marco, Johnny, get to the house. Mike is probably trapped inside."

Chet and Captain Stanley both began following Roy to the home.

Johnny pulled out his knife and slit through the tape over the door of the house. He opened the door, a wall of smoke rushing out to greet him.

He pushed through it, straining to see anything that looked like a human shape in the room. He and Marco quickly cleared the house.

"Nothing," Marco shouted through his face mask. "He's not here."

Johnny looked around.

"Did we miss anything?"

Marco shook his head no.

Roy moved into the house. "Did you find him?"

Marco and Johnny both shook their heads. "There's no one here," Marco shouted.

"He's gotta be," Roy insisted, beginning to move through the house.

Johnny and Marco moved room to room again, opening doors, and feeling in corners since the smoke was getting so much thicker.

The three moved outside of the house as Captain Stanley and Chet made it into the clearing. The men came together.

"There's no on in the house," Roy told Captain Stanley.

"We checked every inch of that place," Johnny confirmed.

Captain Stanley looked at the house. It reminded him of his grandparent's old farm house, he thought. And then the thought came to him. "The cellar, do you check the cellar?"

"What cellar?" Roy asked.

"My grandparent's farm house had a cellar under the house. There was an entry in the floor by the back door."

The men all quickly moved back into the house, stomping on boards, trying to find a cellar entrance.

Mike and Meg both looked up and then at each other.

"Here! We're down here!" Meg yelled jumping into a standing position, and then began coughing as the smoke filled her lungs.

"In the cellar," Mike yelled out. "The door is in the kitchen floor!"

"Help!" Meg yelled, starting another coughing spasm.

"Keep the coat over your nose and mouth," Mike said, lifting the material to her face.

"Guys, cellar door in the kitchen!" Mike continued to yell, his lungs a bit more used to smoke.

"Shh, listen," Johnny shushed the guys.

Everyone stopped pounding on the floor, their ears straining to hear any sound.

"tchen floor," came the muffled words.

"Kitchen floor," Captain Stanley said, moving toward the kitchen. He quickly located the hatch, pulling it open.

Captain Stanley bent down and looked in the cellar, as Mike appeared, holding Meg's hand.

"Get us outta here," Mike said.

"Johnny, Roy," Captain Stanley said, moving back away from the hatch.

Johnny and Roy moved forward looking down the hole. Johnny slipped the rope off his shoulders and quickly tied a foot loop. He dropped it down the hole. "Have Meg put her foot in the loop," Johnny yelled down. "We'll pull her up." Johnny threw the remaining rope to the guys. Everyone grabbed the rope and waited for Johnny's signal.

Mike secured the rope around Meg's waist. "Put your foot in the loop," Mike instructed. Mike helped her get situated. "Hold on tight," Mike leaned in and kissed her before tugging on the rope so the guys knew Meg was ready.

They quickly pulled her up. Mike kept a hold on her until she was too high, then he watched until he saw Johnny grasp her waist and pull her up to safety. Johnny quickly untied the rope and moved Meg back to Roy.

Roy slipped off his helmet and face mask, slipping it over Meg's face. When she doubled-up coughing, Roy slipped his arm around her waist and started heading her out of house.

Johnny dropped the rope back down the hole. Mike didn't bother tying it around his waist, he just slipped his foot in to the loop, grasped the rope and gave it a pull. The guys quickly pulled Mike up.

Captain Stanley removed his face mask, handing it to Mike as he stood up. Mike took a couple of deep breaths and coughed several times. "Where's Meg."

"The same place where headed, outta here," Chet said, starting to head out of the house.

The fire was getting close to the house. Mike hurried up to catch up with Roy and Meg. He slipped his arm around Meg's waist, taking over helping her walk from Roy. Roy took a moment to slip the air tank off his back and helped Mike get it on. Mike and Meg buddy shared the air as they headed toward the engine away from the flames and smoke.

E

"Let me get this straight, Caroline isn't Caroline?" Mike said, trying to understand everything Kate and Eric were telling them.

"No, her name is Cara Lynn, C-A-R-A-L-Y-N-N. She was a psychologist; until she lost her license due to an inappropriate relationship with a patient. Kevin Costas."

"Are you kidding me?" Mike said, shocked at what he was hearing.

"He was ordered to see a psychologist after an incident where he'd set his boss's office on fire. Cara Lynn was his court ordered psychologist. She helped convince him that his problems were all due to the people in his past," Eric explained.

"And those were the people's homes he was burning down when I saw him before."

"Exactly," Kate said. "Kevin and Cara Lynn kept in touch while he was in prison and must have decided that you were the cause of all their troubles this time. Kevin was in jail because of your testimony and it was the investigation into Kevin that revealed their relationship and cost Cara Lynn her therapy license."

"Are they still out there?" Meg asked.

"We'll find them," Kate assured her.

"We need to check them out; can the rest of this wait?" Johnny asked, carrying over his equipment.

"Sure. We've got an APB out on Kevin and Cara Lynn. All the units are looking for Cara Lynn's car and the rental car that Mike had. I'll keep you posted," Kate said. She stopped and put her hand on Mike's arm. "I'm glad you're both okay."

Mike looked over at Meg, as Roy was wrapping a BP cuff around her arm. "Me too."

E

Cara Lynn pulled the car off the shoulder of the road and got out as Kevin pulled in behind her. "Is this a good spot?" She asked.

"Perfect. With the water below, they'll think that Mike went off the road and was thrown from the car."

"It'll at least buy us enough time to get outta town," Cara Lynn said, wrapping her arms around Kevin.

A police cruiser came around the bend and spotted the two cars off the road. The officer slowed down, and flipped on his right turn signal, so he could pull off the road behind them.

"LA, this is Squad 29. I'm pulling off PCH, just north of mile 24, I have two cars off the road. I'll be stepping out of the vehicle to investigate.

"You folks having car trouble?" the officer asked.

"No, she just had a flat tire," Kevin said. "I've already changed it."

"Well that was nice of you. Is it the front passenger tire?" the officer asked, observing that none of the three tires he could see where spare tires.

"This is my wife," Kevin said. "I'd actually been planning on changing her tires this weekend and have a set at the house. I just brought one with me." Kevin slowly moved toward the trunk of the rental car they had taken from Mike. "I can show you the old tire," Kevin unlocked the trunk, lifting the lid.

The officer started to step forward, but stopped when his radio went off.

"All units, we have an APB out for a white male, 26 years old, brown hair, brown eyes, 5'10", he has a scar over his left eye. Second suspect is a female, 25 years old, red hair, green eyes, 5' 6". Suspects are believed responsible for multiple fires and explosions over the last few weeks. Also for kidnapping and attempted murder. Suspects are driving a brown pinto and/or a green toronado. Approach with caution, suspects are considered dangerous and highly educated in the use of explosives."

The officer looked toward his car as the radio came on with the all-points bulletin. He looked up realizing he was facing the suspects that had just been described on the radio.

Kevin reached into the trunk of the car, as the officer pulled his gun, pointing it at the couple. "Put your hands where I can see them!" The officer ordered.

Kevin's hands were already in the trunk, Cara Lynn raised her hands.

"Put your hands up, now!" The officer ordered Kevin.

Kevin had his hands on the dynamite pack, but he hadn't been able to grab the detonator. He pulled out the bundle of dynamite Meg had been holding earlier hoping the mere appearance of the explosives would have the officer backing off.

"You don't want to do that, man," the officer said, moving a step closer to Kevin.

"Don't come any closer; or I'll blow all of us up," Kevin said.

"Are you willing to kill her?" The officer looked at Cara Lynn.

Kevin looked over at her.

"I don't wanna die," Cara Lynn whispered.

"Would you rather go to prison," Kevin barked at her.

While they were talking the officer moved even closer. He noticed the bomb did not appear to be activated, but he didn't have enough experience with explosions to be positive about that assessment. He pulled his radio off his belt, and keyed it.

"LA, this is Squad 29, I've got APB suspects, and they have a bomb. Send bomb squad and back-up."

"Hey, put that down!" Kevin ordered, holding out the bomb. "She and I are getting back in our car and we're leaving. If you try to stop us, I'll detonate this!"

The officer shook his head. "I can't let you leave."

"You wanna die?"

"I don't think the bomb is active," the officer bluffed, moving closer to Kevin.

"Stay back," Kevin ordered, but he took a step back away from the officer.

The officer continued moving forward. "Give it up, man. The bomb squads gonna be here any minute. This place will be surrounded. You can't get away."

Cara Lynn and Kevin both looked down the street as the sound of sirens in the distance became audible.

"Very slowly, bend down and put the dynamite on the ground and put your hands in the air," the officer ordered.

Kevin looked over at Cara Lynn, who still had her hands in the air. She nodded slightly.

Kevin slowly bent down and put the packet of dynamite on the ground, slowly standing back up and putting his hands in the air. The officer just kept them standing like that until another squad arrived; those officers moving forward and handcuffing the duo.

E

 _A few weeks later_

"Ainsley just called, she and Johnny are on their way down," Joanne called out.

"Have we heard from Mike and Meg?" Roy asked, coming down the stairs in his TinMan costume.

"No, but you look adorable," Joanne smiled at her husband.

"I still woulda preferred to be the wizard," Roy said.

"Jenny wanted to have the TinMan, Scarecrow and Lion walking with her," Joanne said, reaching over for the silver hat for Roy's head.

"She's just lucky Chris agreed to go along with her recent Wizard of Oz fascination," Roy said, looking in the mirror to put on his hat.

"I think Chris likes the lion costume I made for him," Joanne said.

"Happy Halloween!" Johnny called out, walking into the DeSoto home.

Joanne and Roy turned to see Johnny in is scarecrow costume, Hunter dressed as a flying monkey and Ainsley had made Grace look like a munchkin. They both took in Ainsley's outfit and started laughing.

"The yellow brick road," Roy laughed. "Classic."

"Oh my gosh, you guys are so cute," Joanne said.

"We need to get one of the first trick-or-treaters to take all of our pictures," Ainsley said, taking in Joanne's wicked witch costume.

Chris and Jennifer came running down the stairs.

"Mom, I need my ruby slippers," Jenny said.

Joanne moved to the closet and pulled out a pair of canvas tennis shoes that she had died red and then spent hours gluing on red sequence so the little girl could have ruby red slippers that she could walk in all night.

"Aren't my shoes beautiful, Aunt Ainsley?"

"I love them, Jenny. If I could fit in them, I'd borrow them for sure."

"What are you trying to fit in?" Mike asked, coming into the house, Meg right behind him.

"How come he got to be the wizard?" Roy asked, taking in Mike's costume.

"Be grateful you're not Toto," Joanne said.

Roy raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you're Glinda the Good Witch," Jenny said, looking at Meg's costume.

"Your mom said you needed a Glinda to round out the cast," Meg smiled at Jenny.

"I love it," Jenny said. "We have everyone from the Wizard of Oz!" Jenny grabbed her picnic basket with the stuffed dog sticking out that was being Toto for the evening.

"I think we need to get one of our neighbors to take a picture," Joanne said, going to find her camera.

When the first group of trick-or-treaters came up, Joanne got the parent to take a picture of their group. As Johnny went to get the red wagon out of Roy's garage and Roy and Joanne moved around trying to find the buckets for the kids to carry their candy in, Mike pulled Meg aside.

"Doing okay?"

They'd met with Kate earlier that day to discuss the case against Kevin and Cara Lynn. The prosecutor had offered them a deal for pleading guilty. He dropped the attempted murder charge, if they pleaded guilty to arson and kidnapping. Both Cara Lynn and Kevin would be behind bars for a very long time.

"I'm great," Meg said, tilting her head, so Mike could drop his head and give her a kiss.

Meg wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you, Mike."

"I love you too, Meg. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize it."

Meg smiled. "It makes me appreciate you even more, because I almost lost you."

"And I almost lost you. I'm just glad you didn't decide to try to make it work with Joe."

"I didn't tell you. I ran into him yesterday at the grocery store. He got engaged."

"What? He was just pursuing you a month ago!"

"I guess he wasn't kidding about wanting to get married and have kids."

"Any second thoughts? I mean, you could be planning a wedding right now?"

Meg kissed Mike again. "I wouldn't change a thing."

"Me either," Mike said, resting his forehead against hers.

"Mike, if you're done playing kissy-face we're heading out to get candy," Johnny called out.

Mike blushed. "Shut up, Gage."

Mike, Johnny and Roy headed off trick-or-treating with Chris, Jennifer and Hunter.

Ainsley smiled as she watched Johnny holding Hunter's hand so he could walk the first few houses. Mike pulled the red wagon behind him knowing that after house number 2, or 3 tops, Hunter would just be riding in the wagon.

"Can you believe it was 3 years ago today that Johnny and I found each other again and he found out I was pregnant with Hunter?" Ainsley asked.

Joanne shook her head. "And now you're married, with two little kids."

"A lot has happened in 3 years. Including a new addition to our 51 family," Ainsley said, wrapping her arm around Meg's shoulders.

"And I couldn't be happier. Mike is the most amazing man I've ever met and I love him more every day. It's hard to imagine it was only a few weeks ago that I felt completely alone and now with all of you and Captain Stanley and Beth, Marco and Chet, I feel like I've got a huge family."

"So when will we be hearing wedding bells for the two of you?" Joanne asked.

Meg laughed. "That's up to Mike."

"Oh, that reminds me," Ainsley said, slipping off her wedding ring. "I'm supposed to find some subtle way of getting you to try on my ring to help figure out your ring size."

Meg laughed harder. "I love your subtle ways," Meg reached over for Ainsley's ring, slipping it onto her left ring finger.

"It's a good fit," Meg said, holding out her hand.

"Okay, that oughta help him."

"Do you know something I should know?" Meg asked, as she handed Ainsley back her ring.

Ainsley smiled a sneaky smile and shared a look with Joanne. "Nope."

"Not a thing," Joanne copied Ainsley's smile, but shook her head.

Meg just laughed. Whatever Mike had planned, whenever he had it planned, she knew her answer would be yes.


End file.
